High water intake and low urine osmolality are associated with favorable metabolic profile at a population level: low vasopressin secretion as a possible explanation

Purpose: Elevated plasma concentration of the vasopressin marker copeptin and low water intake are associated with elevated blood glucose and diabetes risk at a population level. Moreover, in individuals with low urine volume and high urine osmolality (u-Osm), water supplementation reduced fasting plasma (fp) copeptin and fp-glucose. In this observational study, we investigated if low total water intake or high u-Osm correlated with high fp-copeptin and components of the metabolic syndrome at the population level. Methods: In the population-based Malmö Offspring Study (MOS, n = 2599), fp-copeptin and u-Osm from morning urine samples were measured, and diet and total water intake (from beverages and food moisture) was assessed by a 4-day web-based record. Results: Increasing water intake by tertile was after adjustment for age and sex associated with low fp-triglycerides (p = 0.002) and high fp-HDL (p = 0.004), whereas there was no association with the other investigated metabolic traits (HbA1c, fp-glucose, BMI or waist circumference). Increasing u-Osm by tertile was, after adjustment for age and sex, associated with high fp-glucose (p = 0.007), and borderline significantly associated with high HbA1c (p = 0.053), but no association was observed with fp-HDL, fp-triglycerides, BMI or waist circumference. Fp-copeptin concentration correlated significantly with water intake (r = − 0.13, p < 0.001) and u-Osm (r = 0.27, p < 0.001). High copeptin was associated with all investigated metabolic traits (p < 0.001 for all). Conclusion: Low concentrations of the vasopressin marker copeptin is linked to high water intake, low u-Osm, and a favorable metabolic profile, suggesting that vasopressin lowering lifestyle interventions, such as increased water intake, may promote metabolic health.