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Relation between hydration status in children and their dietary profile - results from the DONALD study
A Stahl1, A Kroke, K Bolzenius
1Department of Nutrition and Health, Research Institute of Child Nutrition, Dortmund, Germany.
Objective:
To describe associations between hydration status and dietary behaviour in children, as current research indicates that hydration status is influenced by nutrition vice versa, hydration status may influence dietary behaviour.
Design:
Cross-sectional analyses of data from the Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed Study, (DONALD) using 24-h urine samples to determine the hydration status and 3-day weighed food records to describe the dietary profile of the children.
Setting:
Secondary analyses of data from an observational study.
Subjects:
A group of 4-11 year old children living in Dortmund, Germany; N=717.
Methods:
Hydration status was determined by calculating the 'free water reserve', using analyses of the 24-h urine samples. Nutrient intake per day was calculated from the 3-day weighed food records. Children were categorized into groups of hydration status and analysed for significant differences in their dietary profile.
Results:
Children in the highest group of the hydration status had significant higher total water intake, lower energy density of the diet and a lower proportion of metabolic water compared to children in the lowest group of the hydration status. In addition, analyses showed - although not significant in all subgroups - that better hydrated children consumed more water from beverages and water-supplying foods and less energy from fat.
Conclusions:
Euhydrated children, that are children in the highest group of hydration status, had a more preferable dietary profile than children at risk of insufficient hydration.
Sponsorship:
Funding for the DONALD Study and its analyses is provided by the Ministry of Innovation, Science, Research and Technology of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
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