Hydration and Health: Scientific Evidence and Recommendations

Dear Colleagues,

Water is physiologically necessary for human survival. The total amount of water in the body and the balance between intake and loss of water are controlled homeostatically by mechanisms that modify the routes of excretion and stimulate consumption (thirst). Every cell of the human body needs water, therefore adequate hydration is essential for health and well-being. Hydration is the fundamental pillar of the most basic physiological functions, such as the regulation of blood pressure and body temperature and digestion.

The ingestion of the water of each individual varies in relation to the weight and the body surface, the temperature and humidity of the environment, the diet, the activities carried out (for example, work, sports, etc.), culture, dress and the health status. Adequate water intake is linked to survival, improved health, physical and mental performance and safety and productivity at work. Given the rapid growth of the world's population, it is expected that water demand increases by almost a third by the year 2050. A pattern of accelerated consumption, the growing deterioration of the environment and the multifaceted impacts of climate change, current challenges of water management in all sectors are revealed, which demands new forms of management of this valuable natural resource.

In the same way that evidence-based nutrition (NUBE) was developed based on the pillars of evidence-based medicine (MBE), CIEAH aims to promote the development of evidence-based hydration (HIBE) with the objective of provide the best scientific evidence available to support the binomial hydration and health. The HIBE is an emerging discipline in the field of MBE that aims to offer the best scientific evidence considering a diversity of approaches ranging from the clinical, epidemiological, physiological, dietary-nutritiona and community from all sources of hydration and its adaptation to the different needs of the human organism. The interest created around the MBE in general and the HIBE in particular, driven by the CIEAH and the Spanish Society of Community Nutrition (SENC), aims to address this diversity of approaches, contributing to improve the quality of research on hydration , in order to support health professionals, vulnerable populations and the general population by promoting an adequate level of hydration in a context of a healthy lifestyle, without forgetting the social challenges that must be faced in terms of efficient use of water.

The objective of this proposed Special Issue is to publish papers detailing multidisciplinary aspects of hydration with regard to health, functionality, quality of life and sustainability. The key idea is to achieve, through this special issue, a picture of all the topics presented to the III INTERNATIONAL AND V SPANISH HYDRATION CONGRESS, held in Bilbao, Spain, in 2018.

Prof. Dr. Lluís Serra-Majem
Prof. Dr. Javier Aranceta-Bartrina
Prof. Dr. Adriana Ortiz-Andrellucchi
Guest Editors

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