The Influence of Fluid Intake on Daily Biological Rhythm and Mental Performance in Healthy Young Adults

NCT05491122 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: ORION Study 2
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 71
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Chronic low water intake may raise the risk of morbidity and mortality by influencing key water regulating hormones (e.g., AVP), which are known to modulate glucoregulation and renal function. For example, AVP stimulates the HPA axis to release the glucocorticoid stress hormone cortisol with potentially far-reaching effects on metabolism, immunity and inflammation. One study observed elevated blood cortisol in a group of low water drinkers, albeit cortisol was measured at one time of day only. However, in the field of psychobiology, researchers have traditionally related more dynamic assessments of cortisol with health outcomes; by evoking cortisol responses to acute standardised laboratory stressors, such as The Trier social stress test. More recently, researchers have appreciated the importance of circadian variability in cortisol levels, by examining influences on, and consequences of individual differences in the diurnal variation of cortisol. The major measurable parameters of the diurnal variation are; the cortisol awakening response (CAR), which is the rise in cortisol during the first 30-45 minutes following awakening, and the diurnal cortisol slope, which is the rate of decline in cortisol levels across the day, from morning to evening. These parameters are considered to reflect different aspects of HPA axis function; with the CAR best reflecting the adrenal capacity to respond to stress and awakening and diurnal slope more indicative of daily cortisol exposure. Although distinct, both blunted CAR and a flattened diurnal cortisol slope appear to be consistent markers of HPA axis dysfunction and related to a variety of poor health outcomes. Therefore, it has been recommended that contemporary research should simultaneously estimate an individual's awakening cortisol responsiveness, and diurnal slope, thereby capturing distinct and important components of HPA axis function. The shared pathways that regulate body water, diurnal variation in cortisol and our response to stress underpin the broad aim of this research programme: to investigate the influence of low and high fluid intake on diurnal cortisol variation and the cortisol response to acute stress. The aims of this study are to investigate:

1. 1.The influence of a change in water intake behaviour on diurnal saliva cortisol variation as assessed by the CAR (primary outcome)
2. 2.The influence of a change in water intake behaviour on biomarkers of hydration and thirst as assessed by urine osmolality, urine colour and thirst sensation.
3. 3.The influence of habitual low and high total fluid intake on saliva cortisol response to an acute psychological stress (secondary outcome)
4. 4.Investigate the influence of a change in water intake behaviour on plasma biomarkers of hydration as assessed by plasma osmolality and plasma copeptin (exploratory outcome)

Conditions

Healthy; Habitual; Drinking; Stress, Physiological; Stress, Psychological

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Cortisol awakening response (CAR)

  A biomarker for Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal activity; a naturally occurring increase in cortisol upon waking, assessed by ELISA

  Assessed during the first 45 minutes after awakening

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Urine Osmolality

  Mid-afternoon urine samples will be collected on days 2, 5, 6 and 7 during the habitual and on days 10, 13 and 14 of the intervention periods. T

• Change in saliva cortisol to acute psychological stress

  Delta changes (increase/ decrease) in cortisol response (calculated by subtracting the baseline cortisol value from the peak post-stress induction level (-30 minutes pre-stress minus 10 minutes post-stress)

• Urine colour

  Mid-afternoon urine samples will be collected on days 2, 5, 6 and 7 during the habitual and on days 10, 13 and 14 of the intervention periods. T

• Thirst sensation

  hirst sensation will be collected for daily for a total of 15 days across the habitual and intervention periods.

Other Outcomes (6)

• Wake to bedtime Saliva cortisol slope

  Bedtime minus wake-up level divided by total time awake, collected across days 6 & 7 (habitual period) and days 14 & 15 (intervention period

• Heart rate during acute psychological stress

  Continuously assessed from 30 minutes before to 60 minutes after the stress tests and control tests]

• State anxiety inventory (STAI-S) response to acute psychological stress

  Change from baseline (before stress challenge) to after stress challenge (immediately after acute psychological stress and 60 minutes after the test) will be compared.

Study Arms (2)

Habitual period

NO INTERVENTION

8 consecutive days where participants will drink fluids as they do habitually (habitually low TFI = ≤ 1.6 L/day, women ≤ 1.5 L/day, or habitually high TFI = men ≥ 2.9 L/day, women ≥ 2.5 L/day)

Intervention period

EXPERIMENTAL

1-week where the fluid intake will be modified. Habitually high drinkers will be permitted a TFI of 1.3 L/day and habitually low drinkers will be permitted a TFI of 3.5 L/day for men and 3.3 L/day for women. Participants will be instructed to maintain their usual intake of other beverages i.e., tea/coffee to achieve their target TFI.

Behavioral: Increasing or decreasing daily total fluid intake

Interventions

Increasing or decreasing daily total fluid intake BEHAVIORAL

1-week intervention where the intake of drinking water will either be increased (if habitually low) or decreased (if habitually high). The total fluid intake (TFI) prescriptions during the intervention are derived from the mean TFI of habitually high and habitually low drinkers from a sex, age and country matched population. Specifically, habitually high drinkers will be permitted a TFI of 1.3 L/day and habitually low drinkers will be permitted a TFI of 3.5 L/day for men and 3.3 L/day for women. Participants will be instructed to maintain their usual intake of other beverages i.e., tea/coffee to achieve their target TFI. The diurnal saliva cortisol response at rest will be examined at the end of both experimental periods and the saliva cortisol response to an acute psychological stress will be examined at the end of the habitual experimental period only.

Intervention period

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 35 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Participants who...
• are free-living, who fully understands and agree to the objectives of the study, who gave signed and dated informed consent, which includes compliance with the requirements and restrictions listed in the informed consent form (ICF) and in this protocol
• have read and signed the study informed consent.
• are overtly healthy men and current COC using women (taking COC for at least 3-months and should they be eligible and willing to participate, are happy to continue taking COC during their study participation) aged 18-35 years who engage in \<5 hours of physical activity per week (in accordance with previously defined classifications). This information will be obtained during the initial study brief and using the health screening questionnaire.
• have a habitual fluid consumption of ≤ 1.6 L/day OR ≥ 2.9 L/day for men and ≤ 1.5 L/day OR ≥ 2.5 L/day for women, verified by 7-day fluid intake record.
• have a verified UOsm aligned with the following and ≤ 28% day-to-day differences in UOsm; this will be determined during the TFI screening week and familiarisation visit 1: IF habitual low TFI, i.e., TFI ≤ 1.5 L/day for women OR ≤ 1.6 L/day for men have a UOsm ≥ 500 mOsm/kg OR IF habitual high TFI, i.e., TFI ≥ 2.5 L/day for women OR ≥ 2.9 L/day for men have a UOsm \< 500 mOsm/kg.
• have access to a domestic fridge at home so that urine samples can be stored prior to laboratory visits.
• have a body mass index (BMI) \<30 kg/m2.
• have an IOS or Android smart phone and therefore the ability to download the HidrateSpark and MyFitnessPal mobile applications.

You may not qualify if:

• Participants who…
• had any surgery or intervention requiring a general anaesthesia in the preceding 4 weeks, or who plans to have one during the study.
• have a history of chronic metabolic or gastrointestinal disease, or gastrointestinal surgery except for appendectomy.
• has chronic or iatrogenic immunodeficiency (e.g., Chemotherapy, HIV).
• present a severe evolutive or chronic pathology (e.g., cancer, tuberculosis, Crohn's disease, cirrhosis, multiple sclerosis, Type I diabetes…).
• have cardiac, respiratory (including asthma) or renal insufficiency, cardiomyopathy, valvopathy and medical history of rheumatic fever.
• are receiving (currently or in the 4 last weeks) systemic treatment or topical treatment likely to interfere with the study parameters; specifically, relating to the stress response (e.g., steroid treatment may influence cortisol response) and hydration regulation (e.g., diuretics). Other excluded medications include antibiotics, intestinal or respiratory antiseptics, anti-rheumatics, antiphlogistics (except aspirin or equivalent at doses preventing from aggregation of platelets or blood clotting), anti-inflammatory and steroids prescribed in chronic inflammatory diseases.
• are taking any treatment for anorexia, weight loss, or any form of treatment likely to interfere with metabolism or dietary habits (e.g., diuretic, hypolipemic, hypoglycemic treatments).
• have a clinically diagnosed psychiatric disorder.
• have a clinically diagnosed sleeping disorder.
• have a clinically diagnosed gambling addiction.
• changes his/her dietary habits within the preceding 4 weeks (for instance start of a diet high in fibres).
• have a diagnosed eating disorder.
• have a special medicated diet (for obesity, anorexia, metabolic pathology…).
• plan to modify her/his dietary habits.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Liverpool John Moores University: lead
• Danone Global Research & Innovation Center: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Liverpool John Moores University

Liverpool, Merseyside, L3 3AF, United Kingdom

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Stress, Psychological

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Study Officials

• Neil P Walsh, PHD

  Liverpool John Moores University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Participants will be screened to identify habitually low, i.e., total fluid intake: men ≤ 1.6 L/day, women ≤ 1.5 L/day and high i.e., total fluid intake: men ≥ 2.9 L/day, women ≥ 2.5 L/day drinkers. Each subject will undergo two different and consecutive experimental periods: 8 days on habitual fluid intake and a 1-week intervention where the intake of drinking water will either be increased (if habitually low) or decreased (if habitually high). The total fluid intake (TFI) prescriptions during the intervention are derived from the mean TFI of habitually high and habitually low drinkers from a sex, age and country matched population. Specifically, habitually high drinkers will be permitted a TFI of 1.3 L/day and habitually low drinkers will be permitted a TFI of 3.5 L/day for men and 3.3 L/day for women. Participants will be instructed to maintain their usual intake of other beverages i.e., tea/coffee to achieve their target TFI.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 1, 2022
• First Posted: August 8, 2022
• Study Start: November 24, 2022
• Primary Completion: March 21, 2024
• Study Completion: March 21, 2024
• Last Updated: March 19, 2025

Record last verified: 2022-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

GB (1)