SCIENCE OF HYDRATION

摘要

Unfortunately, the science behind hydration is complicated and difficult to explain in a short article. Here is my attempt. Under most circumstances, humans absorb almost 99% of the water and salts taken in. The small intestine is where most of the water is absorbed. When you think of absorbing water, what you really need to think about is how salt is absorbed. Water flows from the intestine into the body by following an osmotic gradient. (See diagram, page 24.) To set up the gradient, the body must absorb salt.