Acute and chronic effects of hydration status on health

Maintenance of fluid and electrolyte balance is essential to healthy living as dehydration and fluid overload are associated with morbidity and mortality. This review presents the current evidence for the impact of hydration status on health. The Web of Science, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases were searched using relevant terms. Randomized controlled trials and large cohort studies published during the 20 years preceding February 2014 were selected. Older articles were included if the topic was not covered by more recent work. Studies show an association between hydration status and disease. However, in many cases, there is insufficient or inconsistent evidence to draw firm conclusions. Dehydration has been linked with urological, gastrointestinal, circulatory, and neurological disorders. Fluid overload has been linked with cardiopulmonary disorders, hyponatremia, edema, gastrointestinal dysfunction, and postoperative complications. There is a growing body of evidence that links states of fluid imbalance and disease. However, in some cases, the evidence is largely associative and lacks consistency, and the number of randomized trials is limited.