A sedentary adult should drink 1.5 liters of water per day, said a study published in late September in the journal Les Cahiers de nutrition and dietetics. Each adult loses on average between 2 and 3 liters of water daily through urine and perspiration, among others, and must maintain its water balance balanced to avoid such a decrease vigilance. The risk of dehydration are mainly infants and elderly.
The authors of the study, Florence Constant, head of clinical research at Nestlé Waters France, and Eric Jequier, professor of physiology and nutrition expert, remember that dehydration results in adults decreases with concentration, alertness, performance, as well as fatigue and headache.
The sensation of thirst occurs when dehydration is already installed: the study authors therefore recommend drinking before feeling thirsty.
The healthy adults, weighing up to 60% water, precisely regulate their water balance, the number of liters of water present in the body. But infants and the elderly are the major risk of dehydration.
Even if parents know the severity of dehydration, two thirds barely can identify signs of dehydration observed in their infants, hence the importance of consulting health professionals.
Older people also more risk of dehydration than adults because they receive less water and lose more than adults.
Water supplies come from three sources: water beverage, food and water that produced by metabolism.
The authors had presented the initial findings of the study June 10 at the symposium “Water, hydration, sports.