Which of the following do you think should be a priority:
- Salt restriction as a public policy; or
- Ensuring adequate water intake to prevent dehydration in children during school-sponsored sports events?
Please support your answer based on examples and properly cite all your external sources using APA format.
I think ensuring adequate water intake to prevent dehydration in children during school-sponsored sports events should be a priority.
Water functions in the human body as "transportation vehicles, medium for chemical reactions, lubricant/shock absorber, and temperature regulator" (Zimmerman & Snow, 2012, chap.7).
Water is called a "universal solvent" because it dissolves more substances than other liquids, and it not only transports necessary substances throughout the body, but also plays a role in breaking down and preventing waste accumulation and toxicity (Zimmerman & Snow, 2012). For example, when dehydrated, the amount of blood that is supposed to go to the kidneys is drastically reduced, and acute kidney injury develops. The body cannot excrete waste products through the urine in acute kidney injury. In addition, the amount of water and electrolytes in the body cannot be regulated, and the deterioration of symptoms progresses rapidly. When the balance of electrolytes such as sodium and potassium is lost, it causes swelling, high blood pressure, heart failure, and sometimes life-threatening conditions (Cleveland Clinic medical professional, 2022).
Additionally, water is also good at storing heat, called heat capacity, which helps the body maintain its body temperature. At sporting events, the outside temperature rises, making it easier for our body temperature to rise, and at the same time, we can easily lose water from our bodies through sweating. The more dehydration you have, the greater the risk of heat stroke, and when our body temperature reaches 44°C, our central nervous system will fail, and we will lose our lives (Zimmerman & Snow, 2012). I actually had a heat stroke when I was little. I was exercising outside for a long time and was sweating profusely. I was also drinking water, but I was sweating out more water than I was taking in. But if children are too obsessed with exercise, they can not realize it. And by the time I felt something strange, my body temperature exceeded 40 degrees, and I was experiencing breathing difficulties and unconsciousness.
Dehydration develops rapidly and can claim our lives within hours. It is even more of a matter of life and death for children with more small bodies. Therefore, I consider the prevention of dehydration and heatstroke in children to be of the utmost urgency.
References
Cleveland Clinic medical professional. (2022). Electrolyte imbalance: Types, symptoms, causes & treatment. Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/24019-electrolyte-imbalance
Zimmerman, M., & Snow, B. (2012). 2.4 National Goals for Nutrition and Health: Healthy People 2020. In An Introduction to Nutrition, V1.0. Unnamed Publisher. Retrieved from https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/an-introduction-to-nutrition/s05-06-a-fresh-perspective-sustainabl.html
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