On the occasion of the European Obesity Day 2016 (21 May), the members of the European Federation of Bottled Waters (EFBW) are pleased to support this initiative by raising awareness, knowledge and understanding on the role of water towards obesity prevention.
“Improving hydration and drinking habits can make a simple contribution to a healthier lifestyle. In the context of rising obesity, water has an important role to play. Natural mineral and spring waters are the most natural source of healthy hydration because they contain zero calories, no sugar and are not chemically treated”, said Laurent Le Bellego, chair of the EFBW Health Group.
“Water is indeed a vital nutrient for our body. Every cell needs water to function correctly. On average 60% of an adult’s body weight is composed of water. As such, water is our most important macronutrient in quantitative terms. It is essential to life, and we would only survive a few days without it.”
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) states that water contributes to the maintenance of normal physical and cognitive functions and normal thermoregulation. Based on the EFSA’s scientific opinion on dietary reference values for water, women should drink 1.6 litres and men 2.0 litres every day, assuming that food contributes on average 20% of the total water intake. Whilst you can meet your body’s water requirements from other drinks, water is one of the healthiest ways to hydrate.
However, available data suggests that Europeans are not drinking enough when compared with the European recommendations on adequate water intake. Therefore, EFBW and its members regularly undertake pro-water activities to raise awareness on the importance of healthy hydration across Europe and to encourage people to drink water.
“Europeans should be encouraged to adopt healthy drinking habits. Nutritional policies and education have an important role to play in that context. Therefore, the Federation encourages policymakers and regulators to adopt and promote national guidelines on healthy hydration and water intake”, said EFBW president Jean-Pierre Deffis.
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