How much water is enough?

W-O-W 8:   How much water is enough?

Wise-up-On-Water!  Children’s water requirements vary with age. As milk intake decreases, water obtained from drinks becomes increasingly important. There are no agreed recommended daily intake levels for water in the UK, but recommendations from the US National Academies Food and Nutrition Board1suggest that:

• 1-3 year olds should drink 0.9 litres per day

• 4-8 year olds should drink 1.2 litres per day and

• 9-13 year old girls should drink 1.6 litres per day, and boys should drink 1.8 litres per day

• 14-18 year old girls should drink 1.8 litres per day, and boys should drink 2.6 litres per day

Water intake should be higher in warm weather or when the child is exercising.

Whether your child drinks Luna and Lara Irish spring water or another pure water, just be sure they have enough!

Sincerely,
The Pin

Your skin is a water reservoir. Tank up!

W-O-W 7: Water helps give you a healthy mouth and skin

Wiseup-On-Water!  Having a dry mouth is one of the early signs of dehydration.18 Mild dehydration may be a risk factor for dental disease because it impairs saliva production. Saliva is essential for good oral health because:

• it neutralizes the acid created by the bacteria which cause tooth decay

• lubricates oral membranes

• contains minerals that enable tooth repair, and

• contains antibacterial agents that inhibit the growth of oral bacteria and help

prevent gum disease.45

Being well hydrated keeps skin looking healthy as well. The skin acts as a water reservoir and participates in fluid regulation for the whole body.46Mild dehydration causes skin to appear flushed, dry and loose.18,47

So stay topped up on water for a healthier mouth and skin!

Luna and Lara 

18 Kleiner SM. Water: An essential but overlooked nutrient.

Journal of the American Dietetic Association 1999:99:201-7

http://foodinschools.datacenta.uk.net/home.asp?idTopic=0&id

Page=1

45 Smith AJ and Shaw L. Mild dehydration: a risk factor for

dental disease? European Journal of Clinical Nutrition

2003;57(Suppl 2):S75-80

46 Eisenbeiss C, Welzel J, Eichler W and Klotz K. Influence of

body water distribution on skin thickness: measurements

using high-frequency ultrasound. British Journal of

Dermatology 2001;144:947-951

47 Principles of Human Nutrition. Ed M Eastwood. Chapter 8:

Water, electrolytes, minerals and trace elements. London:

Chapman & Hall 1997

Water lowers risk of chronic disease

W-O-W Part Six:  Help protect your child against the risk of chronic disease

Wiseup-On-Water!  Drinking enough water can help to protect the body against certain chronic diseases. Individuals who maintain good hydration levels have been shown to have a reduced risk of developing the following diseases:

• breast,37 colorectal,38 urinary tract cancer.39,40

• cardiovascular disease41

• gallstones 42

• kidney and bladder stones 43,44

Whether you give your child our Irish spring water, or pure water from elsewhere, please seriously consider the direct relationship between sufficient water intake and increased risk of these chronic diseases. 

Here's to happier, healthier kids!

Luna and Lara

37 Stookey JD, Belderson PE, Russell JM, Barker ME.

Correspondence re: J. Shannon et al. Relationship of food

groups and water intake to colon cancer risk. Cancer

Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. 1997;6:657-658

38 Shannon J, White E, Shattuck AL, Potter JD. Relationship of

food groups and water intake to colon cancer risk. Cancer

Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prev. 1996;5:495-502

39 Bitterman WA, Farhadian H, Abu S-C, Lerner D, Amoun H,

Krapf D, Makov UK. Environmental and nutritional factors

significantly associated with cancer of the urinary tract

among different ethnic groups. Urologic Clinics of North

America 1991;18:501-8

40 Wilkens LR, Kadir MM, Kolonel LN, Nomura AM, Hankin JH.

Risk factors for lower urinary tract cancer: the role of total

fluid consumption, nitrites and nitrosamines, and selected

foods. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention

1996;5:161-166

41 Chan J, Knutsen SF, Blix GG, Lee JW, Fraser GE. Water, other

fluids, and fatal coronary heart disease. American Journal of

Epidemiology 2002;155:827-33

42 Math MV, Rampal PM, Faure XR and Delmont JP. Gallbladder

emptying after drinking water and its possible role in

prevention of gallstone formation. Singapore Medical Journal

1986;27:531-2

43 Curhan GC, Willett WC, Rimm EB and Stampfer MJ. A

prospective study of dietary calcium and other nutrients and

the risk of symptomatic kidney stones. New England Journal

of Medicine 1993;328:833-38

44 Siener R and Hesse A. Fluid intake and epidemiology of

urolithiasis. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition

2003;57(Suppl 2):S47-S51

Mom I just wanna watch TV!

W-O-W Part Five:  Turn off that TV and go play!

Wiseup-On-Water!  Children need to be active in order to stay healthy. The increase in childhood obesity has been linked to declining activity levels.29   Poor hydration can cause feelings of tiredness and reduced alertness, leading to reluctance to exercise.30   When exercise is taken, even mild dehydration can impair physical performance.31  In adults, there is a reduction in physical work capacity at 2 per cent dehydration of between 8-25 per cent.  When exercising in hot conditions at 1-2 per cent dehydration, children experience a greater increase in core body temperature than adults.32   This suggests that the same level of dehydration may have greater adverse effects on children’s physical performance.1 Children should be well hydrated before prolonged physical exercise in a hot environment.

Every 20 minutes during the activity:

• a 40kg child should be encouraged to drink 150ml of water, and

• a 60kg adolescent should be encouraged to drink 250ml of water even if they do not feel thirsty.33

Children exercising in warm weather are at particular risk of dehydration because, compared with adults, they are less efficient at thermoregulation,33 produce more metabolic heat relative to their weight,34 are less sensitive to thirst, and may not understand the need for increased fluid consumption.35 Swimmers need to maintain good hydration levels since water immersion reduces the thirst response. This coupled with exercise makes them susceptible to dehydration.36

Luna and Lara want to encourage children to go outside and play.  Try limiting the amount of time your child watches television or internet.  Sounds crazy, but offer to go out and play with them!  You have a million other things to do, but you will never look back and wish you had spent more time cleaning or working.  Invest in play equipment or install good fencing instead of upgrading your computer.  You, and more importantly your child, will be better for it.  And while you're out there, drink plenty of water!  Whether it's Luna and Lara or tap water, we just want to get more water down ya so you and yours can be healthier and happier!  Luna and Lara were created to make it more attractive and fun for children to drink water because, let's face it, water can be a bit boring.  That's where your new play set comes in!  Enjoy!

Luna and Lara

29 Livingstone MB. Robson PJ. Wallace JM. McKinley MC. How

active are we? Levels of routine physical activity in children

and adults. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society.

2003;62:681-701

30 Maughan RJ. Impact of mild dehydration on wellness and on

exercise performance. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition

2003;57 (Suppl 2):S19-23

31 Barr SI. Effects of dehydration on exercise performance.

Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology 1999;24:164-72

32 Bar-Or O, Dotan R, Inbar O, Rotshtein A and Zonder H.

Voluntary hypohydration in 10 to 12 year-old boys. Journal of

Applied Physiology: Respiratory, Environmental & Exercise

Physiology 1980;48:104-8

33 American Academy of Paediatrics Committee on Sports

Medicine position paper: climatic heat stress and the

exercising child. Pediatrics 1982;69:808-809

34 American Academy of Paediatrics. Policy Statement. Climatic

Heat Stress and the exercising child and adolescent.

Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness. Paediatrics

2000;106:158-159

35 Maughan RJ. Impact of mild dehydration on wellness and on

exercise performance. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition

2003;57 (Suppl 2):S19-23

36 Convertino VA, Armstrong LE, Copyle EF, Mack GW, Swaka

MN, Senay LC Jr, Sherman WM. American College of Sports

Medicine, Exercise and fluid replacement. Medicine & Science

in Sports and Exercise 1996;28:i-vii