Although the percentage of water in the body varies in each person depending on age, weight, and gender, and age, there is one rule no one disagrees on which is half of a person's weight is water. The average water percentage in your body will stay around 50%, even if it drops a little over time. This article covers how much water your body needs and your body water percentages.
Your body's water percentage
At the start of your first months of life, three quarters of your body is water, then the body's water percentage decreases because of an increase in body fat, because fat tissues in the body contain less water than non-fat tissues.
The percentage of water your body contains:
| Adults |
From 12 to 18 |
Age 19 to 50 |
Age 51 and above |
| Male |
From 52% to 66% |
From 43% to 73% |
From 47% to 67% |
| Female |
From 49% to 63% |
From 41% to 60% |
From 39% to 57% |
Where does the body store water?
This large amount of water in your body, you’re probably wondering how it’s stored and where. In the next table we’ll see the places where your body stores water:
| Body part | Water percentage |
| Brain and heart |
73% |
| Lungs |
83% |
| Skin |
64% |
| Muscles and kidneys |
79% |
| Bones |
31% |
Blood plasma is made up of 90% water. Plasma helps carry nutrients and hormones to all the body's cells and organs.
Water storage in cells:
Cells are found in different body parts and store water in:
- Inside the cell fluid
- Outside the cell fluid
Two thirds of the water is stored inside the body cells, and the remaining third outside helps minerals, potassium, and sodium keep their levels balanced.
Why is water so important for body functions?
Water is very necessary for the body, many cells and all body systems depend on it. Water’s importance is:
- It’s the base of new cells and all main nutrients rely on water mainly.
- It carries carbs and proteins from food into your body for use.
- The body helps get rid of waste by peeing.
- It helps keep body temperature healthy by sweating and breathing when the body heats up.
- It's part of shock absorption in the spine.
- It protects sensitive tissues.
- It's part of the fluid that protects the baby in the womb.
- It's the main part in joints.
- It helps keep joints flexible.
How do you keep a healthy water level?
How much water you get depends on many things like the food and drinks you had throughout the day, plus your weight, age, and activity level. Your body keeps a healthy water balance and gets rid of extra water through urine. But if you don’t drink enough, you won’t pee much because your body tries to hold onto water to avoid dehydration.
Foods with water
Lots of foods have high water content. It’s best to eat them regularly. These foods are:
- Strawberries
- Oranges
- Lettuce
- Cucumbers
- Spinach
- Watermelon
- Cantaloupe
- Fat-free yogurt
Soup often contains a lot of water too, but you need to count the calories in its ingredients, and it also has a high amount of sodium.
What are the signs of dehydration?
Dehydration is one of the most dangerous health issues that can happen to you andespecially if you live in a hot place or you are an athlete, because if you are an athlete or live in a hot place your sweat evaporates quickly and you lose a lot of fluids. The problem with dehydration is it puts you at risk of many other diseases, and it affects all your body systems like the risk of diabetes and kidney diseases.
If you feel thirsty, that's a sign from your body that you're at risk of dehydration, but there are many other signs:
- Feeling very tired
- Dark colored urine
- Always having a dry mouth
- Constant dizziness
- Confusion
Kids and babies feel these symptoms too, plus they might have bowel problems.
Harm caused by dehydration:
Dehydration harms are serious and get worse fast, they are:
1- Cramps related injuries or frequent heat strokes.
2- Urinary tract infections and kidney stones.
3- Seizures caused by low sodium or potassium.
4- Sudden blood pressure drop, which leads to low oxygen in the body.
Can you drink too much water?
Even though it’s rare, it can happen. Water poisoning happens from drinking too much water. So, there is a big drop in sodium and potassium levels in the body. Low sodium in the blood can cause serious health problems like congestive heart failure, kidney disease, and diabetes.
