Association between water intake and abdominal obesity: the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2019–2021

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to determine the link between water consumption and abdominal obesity in individuals aged 19 years and above, utilizing a sample from the 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Methods: Participants were divided into two groups based on their water intake: those meeting adequate intake (≥5 cups for men and ≥4 cups for women) and those with inadequate intake (<5 cups for men and <4 cups for women). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), adjusted for potential confounders. Results: Compared with the inadequate water intake group, the adequate water intake group showed a lower adjusted OR for abdominal obesity (adjusted OR, 0.874; 95% CI, 0.770–0.992). In the subgroup analysis, the adjusted OR for abdominal obesity in the 19–39 age group was 0.712 (95% CI, 0.520–0.974). However, no significant association was observed in the 40–64 and 65 or higher age groups. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that sufficient water consumption may be negatively associated with abdominal obesity in adults, particularly among young adults; however, this association may not extend to older age groups.