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As every athirst person knows , swallow your saliva does n’t do the trick . But why is that ? Saliva is about 98 per centum water , so should n’t it be hydrating ?
Not necessarily , said Dr. Len Horovitz , an internist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City .
" First of all , let ’s think about what saliva is , " Horovitz said . " It ’s a very concentrated fluid that has protein and enzymes . It ’s much more concentrated than water . " [ The 7 Biggest Mysteries of the Human Body ]
Freshwater is much less concentrated with salt and other solutes than the fluids in the human body , and that ’s why it ’s so refreshing to drink when you ’re thirsty , he said . That ’s because of osmosis , when water flows toward higher concentration . If you tope a less - contract substance , your trunk can absorb its fluids and become hydrated . But if you drink a liquid with a higher concentration than your torso ’s , the piddle in your consistency will flow toward the substance , and make you desiccate .
The fluids in many part of the human body have the approximate tightness of the saline you pick up at the drug store — think of artificial teardrops or saline solution nasal sprays .
Saliva , however , is more hard than saline , so it would make you thirstier if you drank it , Horovitz said . That ’s because it would do the fluids in your soundbox to flow toward the saturated spittle , and not toward your dehydrated cells .
" In other words , spittle is not weak enough , " Horovitz assure Live Science .
If someone is seriously dehydrated , health care workers will give him or her saline solution through an intravenous ( IV ) drip mould , especially if that someone ca n’t take liquids orally .
" When you desire to hydrate somebody , you give them saline , because we ’re made of saline , " Horovitz said . The saline solution also ensures that a somebody ’s cadre wo n’t split . ( If a person is given pure water through an IV , the water supply would rush into the concentrated cell , making them so gorge that they could pop . )
If doctors are treating patients orally , they " ordinarily give them water or something like Gatorade , which has electrolytes , " Horovitz enjoin .
In fact , when you ’re athirst , your spit get even more concentrated because your trunk has less pee to spare , he said .
But spittle is n’t the most hard fluid in the body . For case , blood is more saturated , and so is pus , Horovitz said . [ How Much rake Is in the Human Body ? ]
Saliva may not satiate hunger , but it servesa issue of useful purposes . It lubricates food to make it easier to chew and compilation . It also contains enzymes that help collapse down carbohydrates , fat and proteins . In addition , it has antibacterial qualities , and preserves periodontic health by coating the gumwood and teeth , Horovitz said .
He noted one elbow room for people to estimate whether they ’re hydrous .
" The best way to tell apart if you ’re dehydrated is to look at thecolor of your urine , " Horovitz said . When your body is lacking fluids , it goes into survival style and holds on to all of its water , meaning your urine will be very hard and less watery , he explain .
" If your urine is very dark and looks like iced tea , you ’re probably very dried , " Horovitz said . " If it ’s wan scandalmongering , your hydration is probably very admirable . "
