EFFECTS OF ELECTROLYTES

Effects Of Electrolytes



Effects of Electrolytes

Introduction

Our body is made mostly of water. Water is to blame for up to 75% of the body's weight. Most of the water can be found within cells. The rest is found in the blood vessels and within the spaces of the cells, (Medicine Net.Com, 2010).

Dehydration occurs when the body loses more fluid, mostly water, than it takes in. We lose water every day. We lose water when we breathe, sweat, and through bowel movements and urinating. The effects of dehydration can be devastating.

Water is very absolutely vital to our health. Water helps us transport waste products in and out of our cells and is involved in every bodily function. Water acts as a cleanser to the body. In Addition, Water helps with absorption, circulatory, and is necessary for all digestive functions. Drinking the proper amount of water is a necessary for maintaining proper metabolism in the body, (Mayo Clinic).

Water is an important dietary component. Drinking water moisturizes our skin from the inside out. Water also helps us maintain body weight by preventing us from eating, when we're really not hungry. To add, water is responsible for breaking down and digesting the foods that we eat and helps to regulate our body temperature.

Water even help flush the kidneys and assist the brain in functioning properly. Water also helps protect the organs from damage and shock, and breaks down amino acids and other minerals that are removed from the body.

Function of Electrolytes

Electrolytes in the body are special ions and captions that each have a specific role in the body. These electrolytes are physiologically absolutely vital for the usual function of the body tissues. Electrolytes are dissolvable in water due to the occurrence of the ascribe on them. They are circulated in the body between the extracellular and intracellular spaces. This circulation is founded on active transport of these ions over the cellular membrane that utilises enzymes for this purpose.

Certain electrolytes such as sodium ions command osmosis of water between the body compartments. For demonstration, surplus sodium in the body can origin an osmotic effect on water expanding its re-absorption in the kidney tubules. Also when administering diuretics that decline the re-absorption of sodium in the kidney tubules, the bigger amount of sodium ions in the renal tubules exert an osmotic effect on water initating its diuresis in the urine.

This osmotic effect of ions on water is not restricted to ions but furthermore is discerned with substances which can furthermore use osmotic effect such as glucose and mannitol. For demonstration, in diabetes mellitus in which there is a state of hyperglycemia there is advanced filtration of glucose in the glomeruli of the kidney. The filtered glucose uses an osmotic effect on water leading to its diuresis in the urine.

Other purposes of ions in the body act as buffers. Especially prominent here are the ions, phosphates and bicarbonates in supplement to hydrogen ions. Bicarbonate is the foremost buffer in the blood and the ...