Question

Explain why the amount of water a person needs to survive can be highly variable.
short paragraph

Answer 1

The amount of water a person needs to survive varies because many factors change how quickly the body loses or uses fluids: climate and temperature (hot or humid weather and high altitude increase water loss), physical activity and sweating, body size and composition, age, and physiological states like pregnancy or breastfeeding. Illnesses (fever, vomiting, diarrhea), certain medications, and a high-salt or high-protein diet also raise requirements, while eating water-rich foods or being inactive in cool conditions reduces them. Individual differences in sweat rate and acclimatization mean two people in the same situation can still need quite different amounts.