Dehydration: how it happens, what to look out for, steps to take

The body's "water ecosystem" is regulated by responses to salt and water levels. [iStockphoto]

Dehydration can be defined as the loss of intracellular body water.

To understand the causes it's important to set out some basic information about our bodies concerning water physiology. Water contributes 55 per cent to 65 per cent of total body mass. Most of this is in lean tissue. The other third is extracellular.