Global Hydration Experts Agree: Most Americans Are Underhydrated, and Everyday Hydration Needs Differ from Acute Hydration Needs

New scientific consensus paper in Current Developments in Nutrition finds daily hydration should be mostly water-based and provide minerals such as potassium, magnesium and calcium

BERNARDSVILLE, N.J., Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- In a new peer-reviewed publication¹, nine leading hydration and nutrition scientists reached consensus that chronic, often unnoticed underhydration is the primary hydration-related public health risk in the United States. They also concluded that the fluids people need for everyday hydration are different from acute hydration needs designed to rehydrate the body after intense exercise or significant fluid loss. This emerged from a scientific roundtable convened by Ultima Health Products to advance the science on daily hydration.

The paper, published in Current Developments in Nutrition, a journal of the American Society for Nutrition, concluded that:

• Underhydration is common, and most people don't notice it. At least 70% of U.S. children and adults fall short of recommended water intake. Thirst isn't a reliable signal, especially in older adults, and older adults and children are most affected.
  
  
• Everyday and recovery hydration differ. Daily fluid intake should be mostly water-based. Higher-sodium drinks are well supported for recovery after significant fluid loss, such as losing 2% or more of body weight during exercise in the heat.
  
  
• Daily hydration doesn't call for extra sodium. Americans already eat about twice the recommended amount of sodium, so routine use of high-sodium hydration drinks may add to an existing public health problem.
  
  
• Minerals matter. Potassium, magnesium and calcium are essential to cellular hydration, yet about half of Americans fall short on magnesium and potassium. Daily hydration drinks should be judged on nutrient density: delivering these minerals and helping bridge documented nutrient gaps without excess sodium or sugar.
  
  
• Hydration supports mental performance, mood and energy. Losing 2% or more of body weight as fluid reliably impairs attention, mood and alertness, and lower hydration is linked to faster cognitive decline in older adults.
  
  
• Low hydration is linked to chronic disease. Signs of chronic underhydration are associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular and kidney disease, and faster biological aging. Clinical trials are needed to confirm cause and effect.
  
  
• There's no single perfect test, and the field needs common definitions. Combining body weight, urine color and thirst is a practical way to check.
  
  
• Hydration deserves a bigger place in nutrition policy. The experts called for updated national intake data that includes newer drinks like electrolyte waters, more clinical research, and greater government attention to hydration.

Key Takeaway: Most Americans don't drink enough, and everyday hydration should be mostly water-based and mineral-rich, not sodium-heavy. Higher-sodium drinks remain the right tool for recovery after heavy fluid loss.

"Chronic underhydration is common and often goes unnoticed, and a growing body of evidence links markers of underhydration with obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular and kidney disease, and accelerated biological aging," said Colleen X. Muñoz, Ph.D., University of Hartford. "Much of this evidence is observational, so clinical trials are an important next step. But the findings across populations and health outcomes make a strong case for giving daily hydration greater scientific investment and public health attention, and for recognizing water as a key nutrient in the diet."

"Most of what we know about hydration comes from research on athletes and on clinical dehydration, and the standards we have today were built for those situations," said Stavros A. Kavouras, Ph.D., Arizona State University. "Oral rehydration solutions were designed to treat acute dehydration from illness, such as diarrhea and vomiting, not to support everyday hydration. Our panel agreed that water and hypotonic, water-based fluids – with low or no sugar or salt – should be the priority for daily hydration. This paper is a beginning: there is a clear need for daily hydration standards focused on prevention, not only on sports and disease."

ABOUT THE ROUNDTABLE
The Daily Hydration Roundtable was held April 8–9, 2026, in Bernardsville, N.J., and included Maha Tahiri, Ph.D. (chair); Stavros A. Kavouras, Ph.D. (co-chair); Paula R. Trumbo, Ph.D.; Leslie J. Bonci, M.P.H., R.D.; Douglas J. Casa, Ph.D., A.T.C.; Adam Drewnowski, Ph.D.; Jack A. Gilbert, Ph.D.; Richard J. Johnson, M.D.; and Colleen X. Muñoz, Ph.D. Ultima Health Products, Inc., funded the roundtable and attended as an observer; it did not contribute to the drafting, editing or review of the manuscript.

ABOUT ULTIMA HEALTH PRODUCTS, INC.
Ultima Health Products, Inc., offers Ultima Replenisher, a zero-sugar, zero-calorie electrolyte hydration powder with six key electrolytes, trace minerals, organic stevia and plant-based colors, formulated for daily hydration. Ultima is available direct-to-consumer and through major retailers including Walmart, Target, Whole Foods and Amazon.

SOURCE
¹ Tahiri M, et al. Perspective: Water and Electrolytes in Daily Hydration versus Acute Rehydration: Expert Consensus and Research Priorities. Current Developments in Nutrition, 2026, 109549, ISSN 2475-2991, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2026.109549.