Life and death: Toward a human biology of water

Rosinger, Asher Y.; Brewis, Alexandra

doi:10.1002/ajhb.23361

Cited by 20 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…This provides a conceptual basis for the overview of biocultural studies of the household interconnections of food and water insecurities and their connections to stress and illness outcomes that follow in Section 3. Comparatively little of the published biocultural research to date has focused on water (Rosinger & Brewis, 2020). It is easiest to understand the set of literature we review below by beginning with a grounding in how the approach has managed the issues of resource insecurity more generally, most particularly in terms of other forms of material poverty or disadvantage and how such need relates to health and other stress‐related outcomes.…”

Section: Biocultural Approaches: Some Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Localizing resource insecurities: A biocultural perspective on water and wellbeing

et al. 2020

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A biocultural approach provides an emerging framework for clarifying the mechanisms that connect water security to human health and wellbeing. Five basic tenets of the biocultural approach are outlined: The focus on the local, the centrality of culture, the notion of embodied disadvantage, a concern with proximate mechanisms as a means to test theorized pathways, and recognition of intersecting and potentially amplified (syndemic) risks. From a review of both new and dispersed biocultural literature on household water, four key themes emerge: (a) individual vulnerabilities to the biological effects of water insecurity are shaped by cultural practices; (b) water insecurity is a powerful biocultural stressor on mental health; (c) water insecurity mediates between low power and worse health within communities, and through multiple mechanisms; (d) the household is a nexus for food–water interactions, each likely worsening each other and health through syndemic relationships. This sets an agenda for a biocultural approach to the household as a localizing nexus for manifesting the very human costs to mental and physical health of managing under conditions of extreme household resource insecurity. This article is categorized under: Engineering of Water > Planning Water Human Water > Water Governance Human Water > Water as Imagined and Represented

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Section: Biocultural Approaches: Some Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Localizing resource insecurities: A biocultural perspective on water and wellbeing

et al. 2020

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“…This study presents some of the first research of thirst in non‐WEIRD settings and contributes to an emerging framework in the human biology of water to better understand how water needs are shaped, vary, and met (Rosinger & Brewis, 2020). This study demonstrated that thirst varied cross‐culturally and was greater in a hot‐humid setting than a hot‐arid environment among small‐scale populations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cross‐cultural variation in thirst perception in hot‐humid and hot‐arid environments: Evidence from two small‐scale populations

Rosinger

Bethancourt

Swanson

et al. 2021

American J Hum Biol

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Objectives Thirst is an evolved central homeostatic feedback system that helps regulate body water for survival. Little research has examined how early development and exposure to extreme environments and water availability affect thirst perception, particularly outside Western settings. Therefore, we compared two indicators of perceived thirst (current thirst and pleasantness of drinking water) using visual scales among Tsimane' forager‐horticulturalists in the hot‐humid Bolivian Amazon and Daasanach agro‐pastoralists in hot‐arid Northern Kenya. Methods We examined how these measures of perceived thirst were associated with hydration status (urine specific gravity), ambient temperatures, birth season, age, and population‐specific characteristics for 607 adults (n = 378 Tsimane', n = 229 Daasanach) aged 18+ using multi‐level mixed‐effect regressions. Results Tsimane' had higher perceived thirst than Daasanach. Across populations, hydration status was unrelated to both measures of thirst. There was a significant interaction between birth season and temperature on pleasantness of drinking water, driven by Kenya data. Daasanach born in the wet season (in utero during less water availability) had blunted pleasantness of drinking water at higher temperatures compared to those born in the dry season (in utero during greater water availability). Conclusions Our findings suggest hydration status is not a reliable predictor of thirst perceptions in extreme‐hot environments with ad libitum drinking. Rather, our findings, which require additional confirmation, point to the importance of water availability during gestation in affecting thirst sensitivity to heat and water feedback mechanisms, particularly in arid environments. Thirst regulation will be increasingly important to understand given climate change driven exposures to extreme heat and water insecurity.

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“…As the largest constituent of the human body, water's critical role in health and well-being cannot be overstated: without water, life cannot occur ( 18 ). It serves as a universal solvent; aids in nutrient digestion, absorption, transport, and metabolism; stores and dissipates heat for thermoregulation; maintains osmotic gradients and action potentials; and provides protection as a physical shock absorber ( 19 ).…”

Section: Current Status Of Knowledgementioning

confidence: 99%

Water Security and Nutrition: Current Knowledge and Research Opportunities

Miller

Workman

Panchang

et al. 2021

Advances in Nutrition

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Water is an essential nutrient that has primarily been considered in terms of its physiological necessity. But reliable access to water in sufficient quantities and quality is also critical for many nutrition-related behaviors and activities, including growing and cooking diverse foods. Given growing challenges to water availability and safety, including climate change, pollution, and infrastructure degradation, a broader conceptualization of water and its diverse uses is needed to sustainably achieve global nutrition targets. Therefore, we review empirical and qualitative evidence describing the linkages between water security (the reliable availability, accessibility, and quality of water for all household uses) and nutrition. Primary linkages include water security for drinking, food production and preparation, infant and young child feeding, and limiting exposure to pathogens and environmental toxins. We then identify knowledge gaps within each linkage and propose a research agenda for studying water security and nutrition going forward, including the concurrent quantification of both food and water availability, accessibility, use, and stability. By making explicit the connections between water security and nutritional well-being, we aim to promote greater collaboration between the nutrition and water, sanitation, and hygiene sectors. Interdisciplinary policies and programs that holistically address the water–nutrition nexus, versus those that focus on water and nutrition independently, are likely to significantly advance our ability to ensure equitable access to healthy foods and safe water for all.

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Life and death: Toward a human biology of water

Cited by 20 publications

References 70 publications

Localizing resource insecurities: A biocultural perspective on water and wellbeing

Localizing resource insecurities: A biocultural perspective on water and wellbeing

Cross‐cultural variation in thirst perception in hot‐humid and hot‐arid environments: Evidence from two small‐scale populations

Water Security and Nutrition: Current Knowledge and Research Opportunities

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