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Taylor & Francis Acta Padiatrica, 2005; 94: 1667-1673 Taylor&FrancirCroup The effect of voluntary dehydration on cognitive functions of elementary school children YAIR BAR-DAVID1, JACOB URKIN' & ELY KOZMINSKY2 'Prima?y Pediatrics Unit and the Division of Pediatrics, Soroka University Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel, and 2Departmentof Education, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel Abstract Aims: (1) T o describe the occurrence of voluntary dehydration in two classes of elementary school students as expressed by their morning and noon-time urine osmolality; and (2) to determine the relationship between the children's scores on cognitive tests and their state of hydration. Methods: Group comparison among fifty-eight sixth-grade students (age range 10.1-12.4 y old) during mid-June at two schools in a desert town. Morning and noon-time urine samples were collected in school, and five cognitive tests were scored in the morning and at noon-time. Main outcome measures: (1) morning and noon-time urine osmolality; (2)scores of five cognitive tests (hidden figures, auditory number span, making groups, verbal analogies, and number addition) that were applied in the morning and at noon-time. Results: Thirty-two students were dehydrated (urine osmolality above 800 mosdkg HzO) in the morning. An individual's noon-time urine osmolality was highly related to morning osmolality (r=0.67, p = O . O O O ) . The morning cognitive scores were similar in the hydrated and dehydrated students (p=0.443).The adjusted mean scores of the noon-time tests, with the morning test scores as covariates, demonstrated an overall positive trend in four of the five tests in favor of the hydrated group (p=0.025).The effectwas mainly due to the auditory number span test @=0.024). Conclusion: Voluntary dehydration is a common phenomenon in school-aged children that adversely affects cognitive functions. Key Words: Cognitivefunctions, fruid consumption, school-age children, voluntay dehydration Introduction Voluntary dehydration is a condition in which humans, mainly children, while exposed to excessive insensible water loss due to environmental conditions, d o not drink appropriately in the presence of adequate fluid availability [1,2]. This results in a state of dehydration as evidenced by a high urine osmolality (Uosm). Voluntary dehydration has adverse physiological effects [3,4] and may have adverse cognitive effects [5-71. Voluntary dehydration is highly prevalent in hot or dry climates [8,9]. In previous studies, about 70% of school-age children in southern Israel were found to be in a state of chronic dehydration, expressed as Uosm exceeding 800 m o s d k g HzO [8,9]. An important factor in the pathogenesis of renal stones is the presence of concentrated urine for prolonged periods due to chronic dehydration [3,4]. Following dehydration, the kidneys concentrate urine in response to antidiuretic hormone (ADH), which increases renal water reabsorption, raising Uosm. T h e incidence of renal stones in Beer-Sheva, the main city of the Israeli Negev desert, is 8.5/1000 in contrast to 1.6/1000 in Jerusalem and 0.95/1000 in the USA [3]. In adults, a significant deterioration in mental functions (arithmetic ability, visuomotor tracking, and short-term memory) was found at a level of less than 2% dehydration [5]. Rotshtein et al. [lo] have found that mild degrees of dehydration cause fatigue, lack of appetite, drowsiness, and reluctance to participate in complex tasks. Heat exposure may have an independent role in the impairment of mental performance [6,7,1 I]. There are very few reports on the effect of chronic dehydration on mental abilities in children. Children living in a hot climate are especially susceptible to developing voluntary dehydration because of Correspondence: J. Urkin, Primary Pediatric Unit, Division of Health in the Community, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gunon University of the Negev, PO Box 653,Beer-Sheva 84105,Israel. Tel: f972 8 6477480.Fax: +972 8 6477636.E-mail: [email protected] (Received 6 December 2004; accepted 12 July 200.5) ISSN 0803-5253print/ISSN 1651-2227 online DOI: 10.1080/08035250500254670 I 2005 Taylor & Francis 1668 Y. Bar-David et al. their high proportion of body surface to body mass. Thus, their insensible water loss is increased. They are also less likely to restrict their physical activity in the hot hours of the day. Previous studies in kindergarten children, age 2-6 y [9], living in arid areas in Israel, have revealed that Uosm exceeding 800 m o s d K g H20 was excreted by 60.5% of the children and over 1000 m o s d k g H2O by 7% of the children. Average Uosm increased with age, from 608 m o s d k g H 2 0 at 2 y to 832 m o s d kg H 2 0 at the age of 6 y. In elementary school children, ages 9-11 y [8], Uosm exceeding 800 m o s d kg H 2 0 was excreted by 72.6% of the children and over 1000 m o s d k g H20 by 30% of the children. Apparently the level of Uosm-the degree of voluntary dehydration-increases with age. It is well known that adverse physiological states, such as sleep deprivation or malnutrition, affect cognitive performance. Even though it is reasonable to assume that prolonged dehydration may result in impaired cognitive functions, we could not find reports on this subject. Study objectives The purpose of this study was (1) to describe the occurrence and prevalence of dehydration among school children, and (2) to explore the relationship between voluntary dehydration and cognitive functions in elementary school children. Methods Participants Fifty-eight sixth-grade students (age range 10.112.4 y) from two classes in two elementary schools in a city in the desert region of southern Israel participated in the study. Environment The climate of the schools’ geographic area is characterized by high daytime temperatures, temperate nights, low humidity, and about 150 mm annual precipitation. The schools were not air-conditioned. The ambient outdoor temperature on the day of the study was 35°C and the schools’ indoor temperature was 30°C with a relative humidity of 30%. Measures and procedures Urine osmolality. Urine samples were collected in the schools at 08.00 and 13.00 during one day in June by pre-trained medical students. The urine samples were kept frozen in numbered and sealed tubes and were later thawed for osmolality measurements. Previous studies [9] had demonstrated that this procedure does not affect the results. Osmolality was measured by one technician with a Fiske Osmometer calibrated with standard solutions of 500 mosdkg H 2 0 and 900 m o s d k g H20. Cognitive tests. Five cognitive tests were administered twice in the following order to an entire class, immediately after the morning and the noon urine sampling, by pre-trained psychology student majors. An explanation and examples were given for each test. (1) Hidden Figures. Identifymg a given figure in patterns that contain additional lines (destructing visual information). Fifty percent of the occurrences include the figure. Testing time: 3 min. Maximal number of patterns is 100, testing components of visual attention, perceptual speed; and flexibility. The score is the number of correctly identified patterns minus the number of incorrectly identified patterns. (2) Auditory Number Span. Immediate memory of a sequence of dictated digits. Ten sequences of 4-8 digits per sequence, testing immediate memory recall. Testing period is about 5 min. The score is the number of correctly recalled sequences. (3) Making Groups. Constructing conceptual categories by selecting related items from a list of seven objects. There are two lists, and total testing time is 5 min, testing semantic flexibility. The score is the number of legitimate formed categories (maximal score is 12). (4) Verbal Analogies. Matching a word from a list of five words to a target, according to their analogy to a given word pair. Testing analogous conceptions, identifying semantic relations between pairs of words. Maximal number of pairs was 10. Testing time: 3 min. The score is the number of correctly identified pairs. (5) Number Addition. Adding one- or two-digit numbers in 2 min. Maximum number of adding problems is 60. This test measures perceptual speed and automaticity of applying arithmetic operations. The score is the number of correctly solved problems. Total test administration time was 25 min. The Hidden Figures, Auditory Number Span, Making Groups, and Number Addition tests were adapted from the Ekstrom et al. Kit of Factor-referenced Cognitive Tests [12] with translation into Hebrew of the instructions and the verbal terms. The Verbal Analogies test was adapted from a Hebrew test battery [ 131. Study approval and confidentiality assurance The study was reviewed and approved by the Israeli Ministry of Education and the local school authorities. Eflect of voluntary dehydration on cognitive functions Table I. Age and gender distribution of the hydrated and the dehydrated groups. Table 11. Morning and noon-time osmolality by morning hydration status. Groups Group Hydrated 1669 Hydrated Dehydrated Subjects Total 19 32 Gender Male Female 9 10 11 21 Age (years :months) Mean SD 11:Ol 0:05 11:Ol 0:06 n Dehydrated 19 pvalue 32 Morning osmolaliry Mean SD Noon osmolality Mean SD 619.63 164.45 997.09 127.84 0.00 607.37 240.96 935.22 253.78 0.00 differences were found (school A: M = 928, SD = 2 12, n=17; school B: M=821, SD=236, n=34; F( 1,49) = 2.47, p = 0.12). Mean noon-time urine osmolality was 8 13 (SD 294) m o s d k g H20. Noon-time Uosm levels were highly related to the morning osmolality (r= 0.67, p = 0.000). Statistical methods The changes in students’ hydration status from the Analyses were performed using SPSS version 10.1.3. morning to the noon urine samples are displayed in Statistically significant results were considered at Table 111. Of the morning hydrated students, 68% p<O.O5. MANCOVA, ANOVA, contingency, and remained hydrated at noon-time, and 81% of the correlation analyses were applied. morning dehydrated students remained dehydrated at noon-time (x2 with continuity correction= 10.55, df = 1,p = 0.00 1). The mean noon-time Uosm was 607 Results (SD 241) mosm/kg H20 in the hydrated group and 935 (SD 254) mosdkg H20 in the dehydrated group The final study group consisted of 51 sixth-grade (F(1,49) = 20.64, p=O.OOO). students, 19 boys and 32 girls. Out of the original There was a slight but not statistically significant 58 students, seven were dropped from the study: six decrease in noon-time Uosm compared to the morning students did not provide one of the two urine samples Uosm (F(1,49) = 1.34, p=0.25). The same trend was and one did not complete the morning test battery. observed for the two groups (no-time by hydration group interaction: F(1,49) ~ 0 . 6 0p=O.44). , Osmolality level Letters of consent were sent to the parents of the children ensuring confidentiality of the results. Refusal to take part in the study was fully honored without any consequences. Mean morning urine osmolality was 856 (SD 232) mosdkg H 2 0 . Based on the definition of Katz et al. [14] regarding the degree of dehydration, Uosm above 800 m o s d k g H 2 0 is defined as a high degree of dehydration. Based on this definition, the children were divided into two groups: 19 children had morning Uosm below 800 m o s d k g H 2 0 (hydrated group), and 32 children had morning osmolality above 800 mosdkg H20 (13 of them had osmolality above 1000 mosdkg H20) (dehydrated group; see Table I for age and gender distributions). The mean morning Uosm (see Table 11) was 620 (SD 164) mosdkg H 2 0 in the hydrated group and 997 (SD 128) m o s d kg H2O in the dehydrated group (F(1,49) =83.78, p=O.OOO). No age (F(1,49) =0.44,p=0.51) orgender differences (x2 = 0.84, d€= 1, p = 0.36) were found between the groups. Morning osmolality was not related to gender (mean male Uosm was 804 (SD 278) and mean female osmolality was 890 (SD 194), F( 1,49) = 1.72, p = 0.20). Also, no school Uosm Cognitive pe$ormance The results of the morning cognitive tests are displayed in Table IV. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups on the tests (Wilks’ lambda = 0.90, F(5,45) = 0.98, p = 0.443), except for a marginal difference on the Auditory Number Span test in favor of the hydrated group (F(1,49)=3.51, p=0.067). Table 111. Changes in urine osmolality (hydration status) from the morning to the noon-time measurement. Noon osmolality Morning osmolality Hydrated Dehydrated Total Hydrated Dehydrated Total 13 6 19 6 26 32 19 32 51 1670 Y. Bar-David et al. Table IV. Morning cognitive test means and standard deviations for the hydrated and the dehydrated groups. Hydrated ( n = 19) Groups Tests Hidden Figures Number Span Making Groups Verbal Analogies Number Addition Dehydrated (n = 32) Mean SD Mean SD P - 100.53 4.89 2.11 4.63 14.42 50.05 2.42 1.56 1.86 6.60 - 101.81 47.04 1.90 1.61 1.66 6.13 0.93 0.07 0.72 0.55 0.42 Noon-time cognitive test scores (Table V) were higher than the morning test scores (Table IV) (Wilks = 0.28, F(5,45) =23.29, p = 0.000; Hidden Figures: F(1,49) = 114.72, p=O.OOO; Auditory Number Span: F( 1,49) = 4.24, p = 0.045; Making Groups: F( 1,49) = 0.003, p = 0.958; Verbal Analogies: F(1,49) =6.19, p=O.O16; Number Addition: F(1,49) =7.50, p=0.009). The adjusted mean scores of the noon-time cognitive tests (see Table VI), with the morning cognitive test scores as covariates for the two hydration groups, demonstrated an overall positive performance trend in four of the five tests (Wilks’ lambda = 0.73, F(5,40) = 2.90, p = 0.025) in favour of the hydrated group. This effect was mainly due to the Auditory Number Span test (F(1,44)=5.48, p=0.024). 3.75 1.94 4.94 12.94 concentrated [ 16,171. The clinical relevance is that probably most of the population living in hot climates, and especially children, will have maximally concentrated urine during the summer months, thus becoming chronically dehydrated. Children living in hot climates are prone to be in a state of chronic voluntary dehydration Two previous studies on this subject were conducted during the summer by our group. Phillip et al. [9] found an increased urine concentration among 200 Jewish nursery school children ages 2 to 6 y, living in southern Israel. The mean Uosm found in this study ranged between 600 f 192 mosdkg H20 €or the 2-y-olds to 832 f 175 mosdkg H 2 0 for 6-y-old children. In the second study conducted by BarDavid et al. [8], urine samples were collected from 354 children, 264 Jews and 90 Bedouins, aged 8 to 10 y, Discussion living in southern Israel. The mean Uosm value among Normal water balance is dependent upon two Jewish children was 906 f 183 mosdkg H 2 0 commechanisms: the secretion of antidiuretic hormone pared with 771 k 196 m o s d k g H20 in the Bedouin (ADH) and the sense of thirst. At plasma osmolality group. Over 80% of the Jewish group excreted urine at (Posm) below about 280 m o s d k g H 2 0 , ADH is concentrations exceeding 800 mosdkg H20, with essentially zero and the urine is maximally diluted 30%at concentrations exceeding 1000 mosdkg/H20, with a urine osmolality as low as 50 m o s d k g H20. At compared with 50% and 6.7% in the Bedouin group, Posm >280 m o s d k g H 2 0 , ADH is secreted in direct respectively. Two possible explanations for the differproportion to the rise in Posm, until Uosm reaches a ences found between the groups are: (1) it is possible maximum of 1200 m o s d k g H20. However, in a that the Bedouins, who have lived in a very hot climate hot climate, the threshold for thirst occurs at Posm of the desert for many generations, have adapted and of 290-295 mosm/kg H 2 0 [15], corresponding to a developed a mechanism that lowers the thirst threshUosm of about 800 m o s d k g H20, i.e., at a level far old; or (2) the Bedouins are more aware of the higher than the threshold for ADH secretion; we importance of drinking water even without the feeling only begin to feel thirsty when our urine is highly of thirst. Table V. Noon cognitive test means and standard deviations for the hydrated and the dehydrated groups. Groups Tests Hidden Figures Number Span Making Groups Verbal Analogies Number Addition Hydrated (n=19) Dehydrated (n= 32) Mean SD Mean SD P -28.10 5.89 2.26 5.89 16.05 57.20 1.89 1.48 1.91 7.91 -46.09 4.28 1.75 5.12 14.78 43.53 1.85 1.30 1.26 7.24 0.21 0.01 0.20 0.09 0.56 Effect of voluntary dehydration on cognitive functions 1671 Table VI. Noon cognitive tests least square means (adjusted by morning cognitive scores) and standard errors for the hydrated and the dehydrated groups. ~ Hydrated ( n = 19) Groups Tests Hidden Figures Number Span Making Groups Verbal Analogies Number Addition Dehydrated (n = 32) Mean SE Mean SE P -32.71 5.66 2.21 5.75 14.84 8.92 0.42 0.31 0.35 1.04 -43.36 4.39 1.78 5.21 15.50 6.78 0.32 0.24 0.27 0.79 0.36 0.02 0.29 0.24 0.62 The high Uosm values in these two studies were recorded from samples obtained once a day at noontime. Since very similar climatic conditions exist in our area for many hours during the day, we assumed that this mean Uosm reflects the dehydration state during the day. In the present study, conducted in the summer with 51 sixth-grade Jewish students, ages 10-12 y, we obtained urine samples twice, the first at 08.00 and a second at 13.00. Based on Uosm, we divided the study population into two well-defined subgroups: about one-third of the children were well hydrated with morning Uosm <800 mosdkg H 2 0 . Most of the students in this group (68%) kept a well-hydrated state at noon-time as reflected by Uosm <800 mosdkg H20. None of the students in this group excreted maximally concentrated urine at noontime. These are probably children with better drinking habits. About two-thirds of the students started the morning in a dehydrated state reflected by mean Uosm >800 mosdkg H20. They were defined as dehydrated with mean morning Uosm of 997 m o s d kg H 2 0 . Half of the students in this group excreted urine at a concentration exceeding 1000 m o s d kg H 2 0 . Eighty-one percent (26 out of 32 students) continued to excrete urine at a concentration exceeding 800 mosm/kg H 2 0 at noon-time. We assume that these are the children with poor drinking habits. The results support our assumption that most of the children in our geographic zone are in a state of dehydration during many hours of the day. We propose that these children living in a hot climate apparently are in a state of chronic voluntary dehydration. This state may also be common for children living in other climatic-geographic locations, where their fluid intake is not sufficient (e.g., Germany [18] United Kingdom [19], USA [20]). during both light and heavy exercise in hot conditions [2 13. A 2% loss of body fluids was estimated to cause a 20% decrease in physical performance [22]. Children exercising in the heat are at risk of the adverse effects of dehydration more readily than adults because children have greater surface area to body mass than adults [23]. However, even though it seems logical that academic and cognitive performance might be impaired by dehydration as well, very few studies had been conducted on this issue, especially in children. Gopinhathan et al. [5] found that, after recovery from exercise in the heat, soldiers demonstrated significant and progressive reduction in the performance of arithmetic ability, short-term memory, and visuomotor tracking at a body fluid deficit of 2% or more compared to the euhydrated state. Sharma et al. [6,7] detected the effects of dehydration at various levels (1, 2, and 3% of body weight deficit) on mental functions of different complexities in adults. They found that, at a 1% dehydration level, there was only a marginal decline in the mean score of the coordination function, but at the 2 and 3% dehydration level, the performance score was significantly lower compared to the eu- and 1% dehydration level. Cian et al. [24] have shown that the response to dehydration, whether following exposure to heat or exercise-induced, was a significant reduction in cognitive performance for various abilities, such as decisional or perceptual tasks. This reduction seemed to be proportional to the degree of dehydration, becoming significant after a loss of 2% of body weight. When dehydration was followed by fluid ingestion, corresponding to 100% of weight loss (euhydration), significant improvement in cognitive performance (long-term memory) was observed. They also reported a significant improvement in shortterm memory following hyper-hydration, compared with euhydration. All the effects described above Influence of dehydration on physical and are based on dehydration induced by heat exposure or mental pe?$ormance exercise. In our study we have not induced dehydration The effect of dehydration on physical performance and but observed it in young students, and, for the first exercise has been demonstrated in many studies in athletes and in people working in hot climates [20]. time, demonstrated a direct correlation between their Even a minor loss of 2% of body fluids negatively hydration state and their achievements in five cognitive affects heart rate, tolerance time, and stroke volume tests aimed to evaluate concentration ability, visual 1672 Y. Bar-David et al. attention, immediate memory span, semantic flexibility, and automatic application of arithmetic operations. The adjusted mean scores of the noon-time cognitive tests for the two groups, with the morning cognitive test scores as covariates, have demonstrated an overall positive performance trend in four out of five of the tests in favor of the hydrated group. The main contributor of this effect was the Auditory Number Span test. In other words, young students, who were dehydrated at the beginning of the school day, performed inferiorly to their well-hydrated peers at noon-time on several cognitive tests, especially on a short-term memory task (auditory number span). Procedural memory tasks (number addition), perceptual tasks (hidden figures), long-term memory retrieval (verbal analogies), and higher thinking (making categories) were less affected. It seems that the performance on mental tasks with a high cognitive load, such as continuous rehearsal of digits for an immediate recall, tends to deteriorate as a function of being in a voluntary dehydrated state during the school day. Mental tasks that are based on automated skills, perceptual or procedural, long-term memory retrieval, and controlled thinking have lower cognitive demands, and are therefore less affected by chronic dehydration. Hydration and mental performance-explanato y mechanisms Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain the beneficial effects of hydration during or after exercise. These include a decrease in cortisol level [25], an increase in serum arginine, increased vasopressin release, and an increase in glycerol [24,26]. Cortisol level is known to increase with dehydration and have detrimental effects on declarative memory, and on spatial and thinking tasks, and no effect on procedural memory [27]. Fluid ingestion is related to cerebral vasopressin levels, which have a positive effect on memory, and to glycerol level, which positively affects cognitive performance through glucose supply to the CNS [24,26]. Other adverse effects of chronic dehydration Other adverse effects of chronic dehydration include urinary stone formation [28], risk for certain types of cancer [29], especially that of the urinary tract [30], colon [31], and breast [32], inducement of mitral valve prolapse in susceptible women [33], salivary dysfunction leading to bad oral hygiene [34], chronic constipation, and obesity [35]. Physiological and cognitive recovery from chronic voluntary dehydration Recovery from a state of dehydration is accomplished by maintaining a sufficient fluid intake regime, Simply said, but not simply done. Spontaneous voluntary water consumption is not enough to achieve a true state of euhydration, especially in hot climate residences and in exercising children [36,37]. One way of reversing the physiological consequences of dehydration is through drinking education programs, as shown by Frank and De Vries [38]. Other ways to increase water intake are through improving water taste and temperature [37,39]. On the cognitive level, a primary school in Edinburgh [40] conducted an experiment called “brain hydration.” Pupils were actively encouraged to drink water during and between the lessons. The teachers reported an improvement in concentration. The children were more settled and more ready to learn. Overall, the school has more than exceeded its targets on the national tests [4 11. Limitations of the study This study was performed in the context of a hot and dry summer day. Therefore, the effects of voluntary dehydration may be compounded with climatic factors, such as transient or prolonged heat stress. Also, we could not distinguish in our study between children who were dehydrated by chance on the particular day of the study and those who were in a chronic state of dehydration, i.e., dehydrated for a longer period prior to the study. In addition, this study did not address questions about physiological (e.g., cortisol level) and behavioral mechanisms (e.g., effects on appetite) that may mediate the effects of dehydration. Finally, this study used Uosm as a proxy for dehydration level. The classical measure of the degree of dehydration is water loss, expressed as weight loss. Since the design of this study did not induce dehydration, direct weight loss was precluded. Conclusions (1) Many elementary school children residing in hot climate zones, and perhaps other climatic zones, are prone to be in a state of chronic voluntary dehydration, which can be related to their drinking habits. (2) Chronic dehydration has adverse effects on cognitive and physical performance, as well as on general health. (3) A vigorous attempt should be made to educate the population, and especially children, to improve drinking habits. In our opinion, schools are the best place to start such programs. 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