Assessing Hydration Status: The Elusive Gold Standard
Abstract
Acknowledging that total body water (TBW) turnover is complex, and that no measurement is valid for all situations, this review evaluates 13 hydration assessment techniques. Although validated laboratory methods exist for TBW and extracellular volume, no evidence incontrovertibly demonstrates that any concentration measurement, including plasma osmolality (P(osm)), accurately represents TBW gain and loss during daily activities. Further, one blood or urine sample cannot validly represent fluctuating TBW and fluid compartments. Future research should (a) evaluate novel techniques that assess hydration in real time and are precise, accurate, reliable, non-invasive, portable, inexpensive, safe, and simple; and (b) clarify the relationship between P(osm) and TBW oscillations in various scenarios.
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Urine-specific gravity ≤ 1.020 was used to assure that participants were in a hydrated state.
“Urine-specific gravity has been determined to assure that participants were in a hydrated state, defined as the value of urine-specific gravity ≤ 1.020 [36].”
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“Urine-specific gravity has been determined to assure that participants were in a hydrated state, defined as the value of urine-specific gravity ≤ 1.020 [36].”
BackgroundInfluentialCampa, F., Matias, C. N., Teixeira, F. J., Reis, J. F., Valamatos, M. J., Coratella, G., & Monteiro, C. P. (2022) · Nutrition · doi:10.1016/j.nut.2022.111694 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
- Authors
- Armstrong, L. E.
- Affiliations
- University of Connecticut (US)
- Corresponding author
- Armstrong, Lawrence E.
- Venue
- Journal of the American College of Nutrition
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2007-10
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- sup5
- Pages
- 575S-584S
- ISSN
- 0731-5724 (ISSN-L)
- 1541-1087
- OpenAlex
- W2111479538
- Cited by
- 643
- References
- 42
- Citations by year
- 2026: 31 · 2025: 43 · 2024: 28 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 35 · 2021: 54 · 2020: 41 · 2019: 63 · 2018: 49 · 2017: 39 · 2016: 41 · 2015: 36 · 2014: 29 · 2013: 44 · 2012: 29
- FWCI
- 1.29
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of the American College of Nutrition (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Thermoregulation and physiological responses
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Body Composition Measurement Techniques
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Electrolyte and hormonal disorders
- Keywords
- hydration assessment, total body water, plasma osmolality, extracellular volume, body fluid compartments, fluid balance, urine osmolality
- MeSH terms
- Blood Chemical Analysis, Body Water, Dehydration, Humans, Osmolar Concentration, Sensitivity and Specificity, Specific Gravity, Time Factors, Water-Electrolyte Balance, Reproducibility of Results, Urinalysis
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