Objective
Because elevated copeptin, a marker of vasopressin, is linked to low water intake and high diabetes risk, we tested the effect of water supplementation on copeptin and fasting glucose.
Design, Setting, and Participants
Thirty-one healthy adults with high copeptin (>10.7 pmol · L
−1
in men and >6.1 pmol·L
−1
in women) identified in a population-based survey from 2013 to 2015 and with a current 24-hour urine osmolality of >600 mOsm · kg
−1
were included.
Intervention
Addition of 1.5 L water daily on top of habitual fluid intake for 6 weeks.
Main outcome measure
Pre- and postintervention fasting plasma copeptin concentrations.
Results
Reported mean water intake increased from 0.43 to 1.35 L · d
−1
(
P
< 0.001), with no other observed changes in diet. Median (interquartile range) urine osmolality was reduced from 879 (705, 996) to 384 (319, 502) mOsm · kg
−1
(
P
< 0.001); urine volume increased from 1.06 (0.90, 1.20) to 2.27 (1.52, 2.67) L · d
−1
(
P
< 0.001); and baseline copeptin decreased from 12.9 (7.4, 21.9) pmol · L
−1
to 7.8 (4.6;11.3) pmol · L
−1
(
P
< 0.001). Water supplementation reduced fasting plasma glucose from a mean (SD) of 5.94 (0.44) to 5.74 (0.51) (
P
= 0.04). The water-associated reduction of both fasting copeptin and glucose concentration in plasma was most pronounced in participants in the top tertile of baseline copeptin.
Conclusions
Water supplementation in persons with habitually low water consumption and high copeptin levels is effective in lowering copeptin. It appears a safe and promising intervention with the potential of lowering fasting plasma glucose and thus reducing diabetes risk. Further investigations are warranted to support these findings.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.