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UNLABELLED: It is understood that water is the most essential nutrient for life, yet research elucidating the fine points of hydration and fluid needs is still in its youth. Public recommendations based on scientific evidence are not always translated by the media into useful and practical guidelines. CONCLUSION: Further research investigating the benefits of all fluids, and water in particular, as beverages to meet hydration and health needs will help clarify the controversies over how much water we should drink every day. Health practitioners must further work to assist patients with designing practical fluid intake strategies to ensure adequate hydration.

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Water is an essential nutrient required for life. To be well hydrated, the average sedentary adult man must consume at least 2,900 mL (12 c) fluid per day, and the average sedentary adult woman at least 2,200 mL (9 c) fluid per day, in the form of noncaffeinated, nonalcoholic beverages, soups, and foods. Solid foods contribute approximately 1,000 mL (4 c) water, with an additional 250 mL (1 c) coming from the water of oxidation. The Nationwide Food Consumption Surveys indicate that a portion of the population may be chronically mildly dehydrated. Several factors may increase the likelihood of chronic, mild dehydration, including a poor thirst mechanism, dissatisfaction with the taste of water, common consumption of the natural diuretics caffeine and alcohol, participation in exercise, and environmental conditions. Dehydration of as little as 2% loss of body weight results in impaired physiological and performance responses. New research indicates that fluid consumption in general and water consumption in particular can have an effect on the risk of urinary stone disease; cancers of the breast, colon, and urinary tract; childhood and adolescent obesity; mitral valve prolapse; salivary gland function; and overall health in the elderly. Dietitians should be encouraged to promote and monitor fluid and water intake among all of their clients and patients through education and to help them design a fluid intake plan. The influence of chronic mild dehydration on health and disease merits further research.

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Some of the most common nutrition questions are about fiber: "Am I eating enough?" "How do I get more?" "Don't only older people have to worry about fiber?" "I don't have bowel problems-why do I need more fiber?" "Won't a high-fiber diet make me too full to exercise?" Because research continues to confirm fiber's benefits, here are up-to-date answers and practical ways you can increase the fiber in your diet.

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When you're used to being active, there's nothing worse than being pinned down by a recurring upset stomach or cold. You might assume you have a virus, but sometimes these recurrences can be signs of food allergies or, more likely, food intolerances.

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Leading an active life often means eating on the go, especially in summer. But just as summer weather helps our gardens grow, it makes the growing easy for bacteria that can cause foodborne illnesses or food poisoning.

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You've probably been hearing it since grade school: Eat your fruits and vegetables and you'll be healthy. Sometime between then and now, you may have grown skeptical of that advice. It seems too simplistic. Human health and nutrition science must be more complicated than that, right?

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It seems like the more things change, the more they stay the same. For decades, dietitians told you to eat a balanced diet of a variety of foods and to eat in moderation. Then came news that antioxidants may help your body function better, prevent certain diseases, and relieve muscle damage and soreness after exercise. Dietitians wondered if eating whole foods was not enough and whether you should supplement your diet with antioxidants.

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The nutritional status of 11 female and 13 male elite bodybuilders at the first drug-tested USA Championship was examined through food records kept by subjects. Diets were repetitive and monotonous, and average daily energy and protein contents were relatively similar for men and women. Percent calories from protein, fat, and carbohydrate were 39%, 12%, and 48% for females, and 40%, 11%, and 49% for males, respectively. Females consumed 0% vitamin D, 52% calcium, 76% zinc (as percents of RDA) and below the Estimated Safe and Adequate Dietary Allowance amounts for copper and chromium. Males consumed 46% of vitamin D RDA. Although dietary magnesium intakes were above the RDA, serum magnesium levels in females were below reference values, which should be investigated. Serum zinc levels were high in men and women. Eighty-one percent of females reported recurrent contest-related amenorrhea for 2 +/- 1 months precontest. Dietary intakes of men were adequate but the restrictive intakes of women may place them at risk for calcium, copper, and chromium deficiencies.

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This research compared nutrient intake data with blood lipids and anthropometric data. Height, weight, and seven skinfolds were collected 3 days prior to competition at the official weigh-in. The lipids measured were total cholesterol (TC), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), and the HDL2 and HDL3 cholesterol subfractions. The subjects were 17 males and 17 females. Descriptive data are presented as means and standard deviations of the means. Protein, fat, and carbohydrate provided about 40, 12, and 48%, respectively, of total energy intake; vitamin C was > 200 mg/day. Only dietary fat was significantly (p < 0.05) associated with TC for females. Fiber was significantly associated with HDL-C and HDL2-C for males and with HDL-C for females. Vitamin C was significantly associated with HDL-C,HDL2-C, and HDL3-C for males, and with HDL-C and HDL3-C for females. These findings are consistent with those reported by Bazzarre et al. in farmers and suggest that vitamin C may favorably influence HDL-C metabolism.

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The use of anabolic-androgenic steroids is epidemic in the sporting world, and the recent recognition of their pervasive use by recreational and adolescent athletes has made the abuse of these drugs a public health concern. A critical review of the literature supports the doctrine that anabolic-androgenic steroids can improve muscular performance if certain criteria are met, but some of the health risks associated with their use may be irreversible, and life-threatening. Furthermore, polydrug abuse, restrictive diets, and dehydrating practices may potentiate the health risks associated with weight training and steroid use. Recent investigations of nutritional and training alternatives to anabolic-androgenic steroids are promising. To help lure athletes from drug abuse, the pursuit of new areas of research and education should be priorities in the campaign against the abuse of anabolic steroids.

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