Everyone preaches drinking more water when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, but why is that? Well, your blood carries lots of water around the body and that blood must be filtered to remove drugs, toxins, and waste products. By drinking more water you can allow your urinary system (also called excretory system) to function more efficiently. The urinary system removes these unwanted molecules from the blood and excretes them from the body as urine.
TIP: If you ever wonder about your hydration status, just take a look at the color of your urine next time you go to the bathroom. Clear/pale yellow indicates proper hydration while golden yellow/honey colored urine means you could use more water.
Basic Anatomy of the Urinary System
- Adrenal Glands: see Endocrine System
- Kidneys: organs that filter blood to remove urea and other wastes as urine
- Ureters: carry filtered urine from the kidneys to the bladder
- Bladder: holds urine until it is signalled for release
- Urethra: duct that allows urine to exit the body
- Aorta: main artery coming from the heart (unfiltered blood)
- Vena Cava: main vein entering the heart (filtered blood)
- Renal Vein: returns filtered blood to the vena cava
- Renal Artery: sends blood from the aorta into the kidneys for filtration
Filtration
Blood enters the kidneys using the renal arteries. The arteries branch out into small vessels that enter the nephron (filtration center) starting with the glomerulus. Here, the waste products in the blood and some water are squeezed out into the Bowman’s capsule to create a filtrate. This filtrate then moves through the twisty tubes of the nephron and are continuously filtered to remove waste products from the digestion of food. Once the filtrate enters the collecting duct, it is considered “urine” and is sent to the bladder. Blood that remains following filtration exits the kidney through the renal vein and is sent back to the heart.
Interestingly, chemicals like alcohol can hijack the urinary system and cause it to function incorrectly. Ever noticed you have to urinate more frequently when drinking alcohol? This is primarily due to the fact that alcohol inhibits the release of Antidiuretic Hormone (ADH). ADH is responsible for holding on to water in the kidneys, so when alcohol blocks this more water is released by the kidneys. This means you need to urinate more often and you have a clear, dilute urine. Moreover, this rapid release of water causes you to become dehydrated and often leads to a “hangover” the next day. Make sure if you’re drinking alcohol to also consume water to combat the loss!
Want to know more about the body systems? Check out this article!
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