Total fluid intake and its determinants crosssec

Authors: C FerreiraPêgo I Guelinckx L A Moreno S A Kavouras J Gandy H Martinez S Bardosono M Abdollahi E Nasseri A Jarosz N Babio J SalasSalvadó

Publish Date: 2015/06/12

Volume: 54, Issue: 2, Pages: 35-43

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Abstract

To evaluate the total fluid intake from drinking water and beverages in adult populations from different countries and assess the percentage of individuals complying with the European Food Safety Agency EFSA adequate intake AI of water from fluidsA total of 16276 adults 7580 men and 8696 women aged between 18 and 70 years mean age 398 years were randomly recruited from 13 different countries from three continents Information about the total daily fluid intake sum of drinking water and beverages was collected using a 24h fluidspecific record over seven consecutive daysImportant differences in total fluid intake between countries were found however few differences between men and women were reported in most of the countries Less than 50  of the women and approximately 60  of the men do not comply with the EFSA AI of water from fluids Women were more than twice as likely as men to meet these AI OR 215 95  CI 202–229 The odds of meeting the AI of water from fluids were lower in individuals over 50 years OR 088 95  CI 080–096 Nine percent of the total population consumed less than half of the AI 405  between 50 and 100  and 505  more than the AIThere were considerable differences in total fluid intake between countries but not between genders Only 40  of men and 60  of women comply with the EFSA AI of water from fluids Men and elderly individuals had an increased risk of not complying with this reference valueWater is involved in practically all functions of the human body and plays a crucial role in life and health Body water is essential not only for the digestion absorption metabolism and elimination of metabolites but also for the structure and function of tissues and the maintenance of body temperature 1 Dehydration can affect human health to such an extent that it can cause death Even dehydration of only 1 or 2  of body water has been shown to impair cognitive functions alertness and capacity for exercise 2To keep the balance between water input and water losses individuals are recommended to comply with the reference values of total water intake that have been established by some international societies or institutions 3 4 Total water intake includes water from drinking water beverages of all kinds and food moisture These reference values are largely based on observational studies of total water intake conducted in healthy individuals and the estimation of total water balance which takes into account losses However the established reference values vary considerably which can be partly explained by differences in the methodology used to estimate fluid intake and/or losses 5In most of the studies food frequency questionnaires or 24h recall was used to evaluate total fluid intake sum of drinking water and beverages of all kinds However these questionnaires are designed to evaluate food intake and not fluid consumption as a whole They usually focused only on the intake of solid foods and drinks predominantly on those that provide calories For this reason and because fluids are often consumed outside mealtimes and not perceived as a food fluid intake tends to be underestimated by as much as 500 mL/day 6 7 8 9

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