What is the European Hydration Institute?

 The European Hydration Institute

The European Hydration Institute (EHI) was founded in response to the need expressed by a number of scientists, nutritionists and health care professionals, for a one stop shop relating to hydration where: All hydration science and knowledge could come together; strategies for further advancing understanding in the area of hydration could be developed and support for efforts designed to ensure people across Europe are properly hydrated could be provided.

The mission of the European Hydration Institute (EHI) is to raise awareness of the importance of hydration for health, wellness and performance by:

• Providing an authoritative source of science-based information about hydration which can be used for developing strategies to further advance both scientific and consumer understanding of hydration issues.
• Raising awareness of the importance of proper hydration and ensuring that hydration needs are well understood so that they can be included in public health agendas. Special attention to fluid needs is required at key times such as during pregnancy and whilst breastfeeding as well as in populations like children and the elderly. Maintaining proper hydration levels when playing sport is important and can impact on performance.
• The European Hydration Institute works with independent scientists, health and nutrition professionals and other interested parties to develop resources that can be used to stimulate the professional and public understanding necessary to encourage appropriate hydration in all sectors of the population.

The EHI is partnering with other organisations and it is keen to engage other institutions with an interest in the human hydration field.

Please contact Dr. Jane Holdsworth, Director of the EHI, for further information: jholdsworth@europeanhydrationinstitute.org.

Organization chart

EHI Director

Dr. JANE HOLDSWORTH

Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees is a composed of representatives of some of the EHI’s partner institutions and organisations. It is charged with steering the direction of the EHI and overseeing its operation in line with the statutes.

The EHI Board of Trustees comprises the following members:

Science Advisory Board

The EHI has appointed a Science Advisory Board (SAB) comprising scientists and health and nutrition experts, and is chaired by Prof. Ronald J. Maughan, Professor at Loughborough University, UK, and Chair of the Nutrition Working Group of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Medical Commission.

Science Advisory Board members are appointed as independent scientific experts and key health and nutrition opinion leaders representing different disciplines within hydration science and public health and performance.

The role of the Science Advisory Board is:

• To provide advice and guidance to the European Hydration Institute on existing and emerging science and to consolidate and advance knowledge in the field of hydration and public health and performance in humans.
• To actively engage in the Institute’s programme to encourage and enhance professional and public understanding of the importance of hydration to public health.
• To support strategies designed to promote appropriate hydration.

The remit of the Science Advisory Board is:

• To provide scientific advice to support the development of the EHI short, medium and long term programmes.
• To propose and/or advise on research needs and opportunities.
• To review of materials intended for communication to professional and public audiences.
• To raise understanding and awareness of the importance of appropriate hydration through conferences and publications.

The SAB meets 2-3 times each year.

The Science Advisory Board comprises a dynamic panel of experts, which provides scientific guidance and expertise to the EHI. Experts on the Board bring different specialities and come from different European countries, thus enriching the knowledge base available to the EHI.

The following experts are current members of the Science Advisory Board of the EHI:

Prof. Dr. RONALD J. MAUGHAN

Professor Ron Maughan obtained his BSc (Physiology) and PhD from the University of Aberdeen, and held a lecturing position in Liverpool before returning to Aberdeen where he was based for almost 25 years. He is now a Professor of Sport and Exercise Nutrition at Loughborough University, England. His research interests are in the physiology, biochemistry and nutrition of exercise performance, with an interest in both the basic science of exercise and the applied aspects that relate to health and to performance in sport. The role of hydration status in performance and in health has been an important focus in his research. He is Editor of International Journal of Sport refereed scientific and medical Journals and made more than 250 conference presentations. He was the American College of Sports Medicine, President’s Lecturer in 1998 and the Gisolfi Lecturer in 2002. Professor Maughan is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and a member of many other scientific organisations, including The Physiological Society, The Biochemical Society, The Nutrition Society and The Medical Research Society. He chaired the Human and Exercise Physiology group of the Physiological Society for 10 years and was a member of the Council of that organisation. He is secretary of the Sports Nutrition Working Group established by the IOC Medical Commission in 2002.

Prof. CLAUDIO MAFFEIS

Claudio Maffeis received his MD degree in 1985 from the University of Verona where he post specialised in Paediatrics (1989) and Gastroenterology (1999). He had some postdoctoral training at the Institute of Physiology, University of Lausanne (CH), and at the Department of Paediatrics, Paediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition Unit, Tufts University, Boston MA (USA). He worked at the University Hospital of Verona (I) as Assistant Professor from 1989, as Associate Professor of Paediatrics from 2004, and as the Head of the Paediatric Diabetes, Clinical Nutrition, and Obesity Unit and the Regional Centre for Juvenile Diabetes from 2010 to present. Main research interests include: energy and nutrient metabolism in children; aetiology and metabolic consequences of childhood obesity; paediatric diabetes.He has published more than 100 articles in scientific journals: J Clin Endocrinol Metab, Am J Clin Nutr, J Paediatr, Eur J Clin Nutr, J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr, Int J Obes, Obesity, Acta Paediatr, Eur J Pediatr, etc. and over 40 book chapters. He has presented lectures in more than 250 national and international meetings and has received 3 awards for his research. He is a member of several scientific societies and has also served as advisor in some of these societies (European Childhood Obesity Group, Italian Society of Obesity, Italian Society of Paediatric Nutrition).

Dr. MARIA KAPSOKEFALOU

Following a first degree in Chemistry, Professor Maria Kapsokefalou received a Master’s degree and PhD in Food Science and Nutrition at Cornell in 1992. In 2002 she held the Nutricia Research Foundation International Training Fellowship.

She is currently Assistant Professor in Human Nutrition, Dept of Food Science and Technology, Agricultural University of Athens. Her scientific work focuses on iron nutrition (bioavailability, fortification, pro-oxidant activity) and on antioxidant properties of natural products. Current interests include consumer perception on nutritional issues and evaluation of nutrient intake in the population. Her research is supported by national, private and EU funding. She is the author of 26 research articles, of 45 conference abstracts, monographs and of various professional articles. She is teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in nutrition and is involved in community based projects on high school student education. Prof. Kapsokefalou is a member of several national and international organizations and committees.

Prof. Dr. LLUÍS SERRA-MAJEM

Professor Dr. Lluís Serra-Majem is a Doctor of Medicine, Nutrition and specialist in Preventive Medicine and Public Health. At the beginning of his professional career, he worked as a physician-epidemiologist in several leadership positions in the Catalan health administration and then completed a Master’s degree and Doctorate in Nutrition and Public Health in Sherbrooke (Canada). In 1988, he took the post of Professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona, where he created and directed the Community Nutrition Research Centre, University of Barcelona Science Park. Since 1995, he has held the UNESCO Chair for Research, Planning and Development of Local Health Systems and is the Director of the Nutrition Research Group and the Department of Clinical Sciences at the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. In 1989 he founded the Spanish Society of Community Nutrition and was the Chairman from 2000 to 2006. He is President and Founder of the NGO Nutrition without Borders (2005) and has chaired the Mediterranean Diet Foundation since 1996. He is President of the Spanish Academy of Nutrition and Food Sciences (2008) and he has written nearly 400 scientific articles in medical journals, 60 books on this specialty, more than 250 chapters and 100 editorials, forewords and introductions. He is a visiting professor at various European and American Universities, President and Honorary Member of Scientific Societies and Foundations, and has received numerous awards for his career. He is a recognized expert on nutrition and health, diet and prevention of childhood obesity.

He has been a member of the Spanish Health and Hydration Observatory (OHS) which is run by ANFABRA (Spanish soft drink association) since 2006.

Dr. Hans Braun

Hans Braun received his first degree in Sport Science from the German Sport University Cologne in 1996. At once he finished his second study in Nutrition Science at the University in Bonn. Since 1999 he is responsible for nutritional advice to the Olympic Training Centre Rhineland. The centre supports about 600 elite athletes from junior to Olympic level. An important aspect of his work with athletes is the translation of scientific developments and findings from the field of sports nutrition into daily training routines. In 2006 Hans Braun joined the German Sport University Cologne and the German Research Centre of Elite Sport. Besides teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in (sport) nutrition, his scientific interest is currently focused on the evaluation of nutritional status and dietary supplement use of young athletes and the assessment of hydration status in different sports. He is author of 30 publications including research articles, conference abstracts and chapters in monographs. In addition, Hans Braun gives lectures in sports nutrition for the German Olympic Sport Association and the German Football Association within the coaches’ license program. He is also Football Coach with a UEFA A License.

Prof. Dr. RYSZARD GELLERT

Professor Ryszard Gellert received his MD degree from Warsaw Medical University in 1978, where he specialized in internal medicine (1986), nephrology (1999), and family medicine (1999), and where he also obtained his PhD degree (1984). His main areas of clinical and research interest include optimal haemodialysis, prevention of uraemia complications, body composition, glomerulopathies, and epidemiology of renal diseases. Professor Gellert is now Professor of Medicine and chairs both the Department of Nephrology at the Medical Centre for Postgraduate Medicine and the IV Clinical Ward of Internal Medicine at the Bielański Hospital in Warsaw, Poland.Professor Gellert has published several scientific works in prestigious journals such as The Lancet, Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, Journal of Sexual Medicine, American Journal of kidney diseases, Nephron and American Journal of Physiology. He has been Vice-Head of the Department of Internal Medicine and Nephrology at the Medical University of Warsaw and Director of the European Renal Association – European Dialysis and Transplant Association Registry in London, UK (1996-1998). He is a member of the International Society of Nephrology, the European Renal Association, the American Society of Nephrology, and many other scientific organizations.

Former members of the Science Advisory Board have included:

Dr. Andrea Poli (Italy), Scientific Director of the Nutrition Foundation of Italy, since the EHI was founded in 2010 until November 2011. Dr. Poli is currently member of the EHI Board of Trustees.

Dr. Susan Shirrefs (UK), from Loughborough University (UK), since the EHI was founded in 2010 until May 2012.

The EHI wishes to thank them for their participation and to recognize their contribution and support.

Scientific and Technical Secretariat

secretariat@europeanhydrationinstitute.org

Partners and Collaborators

Hydration plays a critical role in health, wellness and performance and is therefore of interest to many diverse groups and organisations.

The EHI is supported by trustees, partners and collaborators who share a mutual desire to better understand hydration science and the way adequate hydration affects health, wellness and performance.

Partnership or collaboration with the EHI offers a great opportunity to share common interests and enables participation in joint actions. Partnerships may be undertaken in a number ways and partners may be fully represented on the board of trustees, may simply support the ethos of the EHI by agreeing to promote its work or may collaborate with the EHI to undertake a specific project or activity.

Founding partners include the following:

• Nutrition Foundation of Italy.
• Nutrition Research Foundation of Spain (Fundación Española de Investigación Nutricional).
• The Coca-Cola Company.
• University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain (Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria).

Founding partners:

Nutrition Foundation of Italy

The Nutrition Foundation of Italy is a non profit association established in December 1976 whose objectives and activities are to contribute to the growth of scientific research, to exchange information on food and nutrition, and to promote inter-disciplinary studies in this field. The specific objectives of the NFI are the following:

• to provide correct information and dietary education for all the participants in the system, namely food and healthcare researchers and operators (from doctors to pharmacists, biochemists, other healthcare providers), opinion leaders and opinion makers (such as the media) and of course the ultimate consumer – the public;
• to provide the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries with scientific advice in the fields of biology, nutrition, toxicology, and technology;
• to create institutional relations and interactions, among the food and beverage industries, the European Union and the Italian government and administrative bodies.

More information at www.nutrition-foundation.it

Nutrition Research Foundation of Spain

The Nutrition Research Foundation (FIN) is a private, independent, non-profit Foundation established in 1997 in Barcelona, whose mission is to promote, disseminate and develop research aimed at increasing knowledge in the field of food, nutrition and dietetics, with the objective of improving the health of the general population. It has a local scope both in Catalonia and the Spanish and international level and has its headquarters in the Barcelona Science Park, University of Barcelona, with delegations in Bilbao, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Madrid, Spain.

FIN carries out research projects in the field of nutritional epidemiology in healthy populations, nutrition related diseases, and the analysis of dietary and nutritional factors involved in the causality of the most prevalent diseases, with special reference to Mediterranean Diet. Its activities also include projects in the areas of developing food composition databases, nutritional policies and the development of food based dietary guidelines. FIN also conducts different regional, national and international population based studies.

More information at www.finut.org

The Coca-Cola Company

In 1886, Coca-Cola® brought refreshment to patrons of a small Atlanta pharmacy. Now well into its second century, the Company owns more than 500 brands which are enjoyed in more than 200 countries. Innovation and solid science are the foundation of everything the company does, from the development of new sparkling beverages, juices, waters, sports drinks, energy drinks, coffees and teas, to the environmentally-friendly packaging and refrigeration Eliminado: z equipment and the new (and the world’s largest) plastic-bottle-to-bottle recycling plant and other actions to support recycling in the U.S.

The Coca-Cola Company is committed to advancing scientific knowledge, awareness and understanding of beverages, and recognises the importance of an active, healthy and balanced lifestyle. Initiatives like the “Beverage Institute for Health and Wellness” are part of this commitment, serving as a valued resource for health professionals and others worldwide on the science, safety and benefits of beverages and their ingredients, as well as the importance of diet, nutrition and physical activity to health and wellbeing.

The Coca-Cola Company is also committed to local markets, paying attention to what people from different cultures and backgrounds like to drink, and where and how they want to drink it. With its bottling partners, the Company reaches out to the local communities it serves, believing that Coca-Cola exists to benefit and refresh everyone it touches.

The Coca-Cola Company has been instrumental in supporting the establishment of the EHI. It is providing funding to the EHI as part of its commitment to a better scientific understanding of human hydration and related societal issues.

More information at www.thecoca-colacompany.com

University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

The University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) was founded during the 1989-1990 academic year in the wake of repeated calls from all sectors of the society of Gran Canaria for a university in their islands.

The geographical location of the Canary Islands enables the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to share scientific projects and collaborate with universities and research centres all over the world. The ULPGC has it own Scientific and Technology Park, 8 research institutes and centres and over 130 research groups with around 1000 researchers working across all fields of knowledge.

The ULPGC was evaluated in 2005 by the European University Association (EUA) whose findings indicated that “the progress of the ULPGC has been remarkable”. They considered the University’s main strengths to be: Its facilities, the qualification of the teaching and research staff, the development of the Information Technology, in which the ULPGC was “one of the best Spanish universities”, and the implementation of a quality system program.

Recently, the international committee charged with evaluating the 22 projects proposed by 39 universities has awarded the Tri-Continental Atlantic Campus presented, jointly, by the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the University of La Laguna, the title of “Regional European Campus of International Excellence (CEIR-2010)”.

More information at www.ulpgc.es