High water intake and low urine osmolality are associated with favorable metabolic profile at a population level: low vasopressin secretion as a possible explanation

• Published in: European journal of nutrition Vol. 59; no. 8; pp. 3715 - 3722
• Main Authors: Brunkwall, Louise, Ericson, Ulrika, Nilsson, Peter M., Enhörning, Sofia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.12.2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Beverages; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Clinical Medicine; Copeptin; Diabetes mellitus; Dietary supplements; Endocrinology and Diabetes; Endokrinologi och diabetes; Food intake; Glucose; Health Sciences; High density lipoprotein; Hyperglycemia; Hälsovetenskap; Klinisk medicin; Medical and Health Sciences; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Metabolic syndrome; Metabolism; Nutrition; Nutrition and Dietetics; Näringslära; Original Contribution; Population; Population studies; Triglycerides; Urine; Urine osmolality; Vasopressin; Water intake; Urine osmolality; Water intake; Glucose; High-density lipoprotein; Vasopressin; Copeptin
• ISSN: 1436-6207; 1436-6215
• DOI: 10.1007/s00394-020-02202-7

Purpose Elevated plasma concentration of the vasopressin marker copeptin and low water intake are associated with elevated blood glucose and diabetes risk at a population level. Moreover, in individuals with low urine volume and high urine osmolality (u-Osm), water supplementation reduced fasting plasma (fp) copeptin and fp-glucose. In this observational study, we investigated if low total water intake or high u-Osm correlated with high fp-copeptin and components of the metabolic syndrome at the population level. Methods In the population-based Malmö Offspring Study (MOS, n  = 2599), fp-copeptin and u-Osm from morning urine samples were measured, and diet and total water intake (from beverages and food moisture) was assessed by a 4-day web-based record. Results Increasing water intake by tertile was after adjustment for age and sex associated with low fp-triglycerides ( p  = 0.002) and high fp-HDL ( p  = 0.004), whereas there was no association with the other investigated metabolic traits (HbA1c, fp-glucose, BMI or waist circumference). Increasing u-Osm by tertile was, after adjustment for age and sex, associated with high fp-glucose ( p  = 0.007), and borderline significantly associated with high HbA1c ( p  = 0.053), but no association was observed with fp-HDL, fp-triglycerides, BMI or waist circumference. Fp-copeptin concentration correlated significantly with water intake ( r  = − 0.13, p  < 0.001) and u-Osm ( r  = 0.27, p  < 0.001). High copeptin was associated with all investigated metabolic traits ( p  < 0.001 for all). Conclusion Low concentrations of the vasopressin marker copeptin is linked to high water intake, low u-Osm, and a favorable metabolic profile, suggesting that vasopressin lowering lifestyle interventions, such as increased water intake, may promote metabolic health.