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Hydrogen (H) - a macronutrient

It would be virtually impossible to understate the importance of this element to human life. First of all, water is a compound of hydrogen and oxygen (H2O). We can survive years, or at least months without getting most of the other elements that we need to survive. We can survive weeks without food, but we would die after only a few days without water. Water is incredibly important in our bodies. In fact, almost _ of our bodies are made of water. It dissolves other life-supporting substances and transports them to fluids in and around our cells. It is also a place in which important reactions take place in our bodies. Chemically, water is a remarkable substance and it's many unique attributes make life possible. Hydrogen is obviously a critical component of water and minute chemical bonds called "hydrogen bonds" are what give water many of its unique attributes.

Also, hydrogen is practically always bound to the carbon that our bodies are constructed of. Without this arrangement, our bodies would be little more than a pile of atoms on the ground. Stomach acid is a compound of hydrogen and chlorine (hydrochloric acid, or HCl). Logically, hydrogen is extremely important in allowing us to digest our food properly and to absorb the many other elements that we need to survive. Finally, many chemical reactions that make life possible involve the hydrogen ion. Without this unique and important element, we simply couldn't exist.

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