Which statement best explains why water is essential for all living things?

Most living things are made of water and use it up. Also, water has oxygen in it and the body needs oxygen to survive.

Another Answer

Water is a natural solvent. The specific arrangement of the hydrogen and oxygen atoms allow a water molecule to be polarized. One side holds a net negative charge while the other side holds a net positive charge. This arrangement allows water to dissolve biodegradable things. When something is dissolved into water, it is dispersed into the volume of water through diffusion. Since water can do this, it becomes fundamental to the feeding/waste cycle of all living things on Earth.

The body does not extract the oxygen it needs from water, otherwise we wouldn't need lungs and would be able to live under water.