The importance of appropriate hydration has often been neglected in public health education and communication. Often time’s consumers, as well as stakeholders, are misled with regards to the advice they receive, often based on the fragmented information. This leads to under hydration in most cases and over hydration in some other rare cases.  How can this be addressed? what influences water intake in humans? what is the importance of water in the human body? There is a need, therefore, to promote understanding in this field through promoting communication with the appropriate stakeholders, the general public, and other health professionals. This can only be achieved when the knowledge and information in circulation are accurate and based independent science (Maughan).

The European Hydration Institute was formed to address all matters relating to hydration, providing knowledge on effects of hydration in the human body. There was a need to obtain information from an authoritative source that could supply appropriate information to help the European populace. The institute works with scientists and other interested stakeholders in coming up with sources that can be used to promote public knowledge and understanding of hydration in human health and wellness.

The Institute held a seminar in the United Kingdom that sought to bring together various experts in the field to address issues related to human hydration. The differing opinions offered by the specialists indicated the need to conduct further research and investigation to come up with tangible information that can be used as a reference. Water usage among individuals varies drastically and thus the need to make the advice given to individuals as customized as possible. This intake is influenced in part by the solute intake and water intake of the food consumed (Maughan). There is a need to provide credible information on the effects of hydration on the human body as under hydration or over hydration will have an impact on the functioning of the human system.

References

Maughan, R. (2016). Introduction to the European Hydration Institute’s Expert Conference on Human Hydration, Health, and Performance. Retrieved 25 September 2016, from http://nutritionreviews.oxfordjournals.org/content/73/suppl_2/55