We were delighted to have you for our 13th Annual Hydration for Health Conference! This years’ edition handled the following theme: “Water and Hydration Science: Current evidence and future directions”.

Here is a summary of the presentations. You can also watch the replay sessions here.

Key findings

• Ageing is defined as the progressive organism change leading to debility, disease, and death. There are a number of different theories as to how ageing occurs.¹
• Though it has been proven that thirst is impaired due to ageing,⁴ it has also been shown that in older adults, low water intake is associated with alterations in working memory, blood glucose regulation, incidence of stroke, and falls^5-8 as well as a number of processes such as cell signalling and muscle damage.^10,11
• The key ways to improve our hydration and ageing are: increasing research in the field, education regarding recommendations, encouraging physical activity, and enhancing access to clean water.

Key findings

• Vasopressin is a key hormone in the regulation of fat and hydration
• Previous research has shown that dehydration leads to vasopressin stimulation in the brain
• Prof. Johnson’s work in a mouse model demonstrates that fructose induced obesity is dependent on vasopressin, and suggests that good hydration can limit the impact of fructose-induced obesity

Key findings

• Thirst is a multimodal sensation caused by distinct stimuli
• There are two unique sets of neurons involved in detection of thirst; neurons activated by osmotic thirst which reside in the SFO, and neurons involved in hypovolemic thirst which reside in the OVLT
• Our brain senses internal thirst states using a very similar strategy to peripheral sensory systems, such as taste and olfaction

Key findings

• The current model of thirst is one-dimensional and unable to explain many thirst-related phenomena, such as why drinking can occur with hypo osmolality or how volume of intake during a drinking occasion is regulated
• Dr. Carroll’s model aims to unify various lines of thinking from different disciplines by presenting a four-component model comprising of: true thirst (primarily osmo regulated); contextual thirst (e.g., mouth breathing); pharmacological thirst (induced by drugs); and impulsive thirst (everyday spontaneous drinking)
• This model (based on pharmacological thirst mechanisms) helps to explain everyday drinking patterns, including some anomalies that are thus far unexplained by true thirst, but a lot remains unknown

Key findings

• The poor drinking habits of the young Spanish population are due to low water, and high SSB intake, particularly in male adolescents
• Interventions to help improve drinking habits are particularly important for children and adolescents, as dietary habits during childhood are carried into adulthood⁵
• Encouraging children to drink water instead of SSBs, and to drink water during snack times can help to improve water consumption deficit

Key findings

• Six clusters of fluid intake were identified across children and adolescents, with water and SSB consumption being the main drivers
• Country of residence, socio-economic class, screen time, and activity are the main characteristics influencing intake patterns
• One size fits all solutions will not work. Marked differences between countries demonstrate that targeted, country level intervention is needed to improve drinking habits among children and adolescents

Key findings

• Creating water drinking habits that support healthy hydration is not simple, and requires careful consideration of daily-life routines, barriers, and a good understanding of the rewards available
• In this study, the COVID-19 lockdown did not increase the average amount of water consumed, but did drive up the average consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages at home

Key findings

• It is believed that the water humans drink could have an impact on gut microbiota – due to the different sources and numerous treatment approaches
• Recent evidence suggests an association between water and gut microbiota composition; however, research is still in its infancy
• Much more research is needed to fully understand the extent of the impact that water composition has on our gut microbiota, as this could have implications for human health

Key findings

• The immune system is regulated by a subtle orchestration of the innate and adaptive immune system
• Multiple studies in vitro and in animal models exist, but results on the relationship between hydration and immune response are still controversial and need to be further explored^13-16
• In vitro studies suggest that hypertonic conditions affect innate and adaptive immunity on many molecular and cellular levels, which tends to be pro-inflammatory, however this is not always the case^1-5
• The effect of hypertonic conditions on the immune response is dependent on many factors such as duration of exposure, and timing in relation to priming of the immune system^1,8,11,12