:: June 2009

Welcome to our Monthly Online Newsletter!

What Is Dehydration? What Causes Dehydration?

NGC - Dehydration and fluid maintenance. (2001)

NGC - Hydration management. (2004)

Featured Sites

NIH - Fluid and Electrolyte Balance

NIH - Heat Illness

NIH - Medical Encyclopedia Dehydration

NHS - Dehydration

NHS - Heat exhaustion and heatstroke

NIH - Drinking Water

NIH - Medical Encyclopedia Dehydration

NIH - Medical Encyclopedia Dehydration Heat emergencies

NIH - Medical Encyclopedia Skin turgor

NIH - Medical Encyclopedia Traveler’s diarrhea diet

NIH - Medical Encyclopedia Water in diet

NIH - Medical Encyclopedia Nutrition and athletic performance

US EPA - Local Drinking Water Information

Organizations - Private:

Heat Stroke (Hyperthermia)

Mayo - Dehydration

Mayo - Heatstroke: First aid

Mayo - Hyponatremia

Understanding Heat-Related Illness -- Symptoms

Sports and Injury Prevention

Sports and Injury Prevention

Researchers Examine Water During Workouts "Three decades ago, the top warning sounded by race officials was dehydration. Athletes were told to constantly hydrate after several studies found a link between dehydration and a rise in body temperature, which can lead to heat stroke. But now researchers are taking a second look at the risks of drinking too much fluid during exercise. Hyponatremia, or water intoxication, was thrust into the spotlight after the back-to-back deaths of two female runners in 2002, including one who ran in the Boston Marathon. In both cases, the women drank excessive amounts of fluids."

Aging - Anti-Aging

Strategies for ensuring good hydration in the elderly. (Nutr Rev. 2005) "Dehydration is a frequent etiology of morbidity and mortality in elderly people. It causes the hospitalization of many patients and its outcome may be fatal. Indeed, dehydration is often linked to infection, and if it is overlooked, mortality may be over 50%. Older individuals have been shown to have a higher risk of developing dehydration than younger adults. Modifications in water metabolism with aging and fluid imbalance in the frail elderly are the main factors to consider in the prevention of dehydration. Particularly, a decrease in the fat free mass, which is hydrated and contains 73% water, is observed in the elderly due to losses in muscular mass, total body water, and bone mass. Since water intake is mainly stimulated by thirst, and since the thirst sensation decreases with aging, risk factors for dehydration are those that lead to a loss of autonomy or a loss of cognitive function that limit the access to beverages."

A typology of oral hydration problems exhibited by frail nursing home residents. (J Gerontol Nurs. 2006) "Dehydration remains a substantial problem for nursing home residents, often with poor health outcomes. … Dehydration events occurred in 31% (11 of 35) of residents during the 6-month period."