Water is something that is just part of our lives, so most of us don’t ever stop to think about how critical and useful it really is. It is a cornerstone of our own health, as well as one of the greatest contributors to the health of our planet Earth. To highlight this point, we’ve uncovered a few really interesting facts about water. What would we do without it?

1. Roughly 70 percent of the human body is made up of water.

2. When a baby is born, water accounts for about 80 percent of its body weight.

3. A healthy person can drink up to three gallons or 48 cups of water per day.

4. You can suffer from water intoxication by drinking too much water. Water intoxication takes place when the water dilutes the sodium levels in the bloodstream and causes an imbalance of water in the brain.

5. Although the daily recommended amount of water is eight cups each day, not all of this water must be consumed in the form of a liquid. Almost all food or drink items provide some water to the body.

6. Sodas, coffee and tea are made up of almost all water, but they also contain caffeine which acts as a diuretic and prevents water from reaching the necessary locations in your body which could lead to dehydration.

7. Water can dissolve more substances than any other liquid.

8. Approximately 70 to 75 percent of the earth’s surface is covered with water.

9. The earth is a closed system, meaning that it rarely loses or gains additional matter. The same water that existed on this earth millions of years ago is still present today.

10. Of all of the water on the earth, humans can only use about three tenths of a percent of this water; most of which is found in groundwater, rivers, and freshwater lakes.

11. The U.S. uses about 346,000 million gallons of fresh water every day.

12. The average person in the U.S. actually uses anywhere from 80-100 gallons of water per day. Flushing the toilet actually takes up the largest amount of water.

13. By the time a person actually feels thirsty, his or her body has lost over 1 percent of its total water amount.

14. The weight a person loses directly after an intense workout is from water, not fat.