Association between abdomenal skin fold and daily fluid intake in young adults

It is known that body composition is maintained by homeostatic mechanisms involving most of the body's organ systems. Young adulthood is a period of relative homeostasis. However, some researchers have publicized that higher water intake may contribute to abdominal skin fold thickness in young females. This argument gave rise a debate, but there is a lack of evidence for this argument. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the relationship between daily fluid intake and abdominal skin fold thickness and other related measurements in young adults. Fluid intake and urinary output were measured by two separate measuring cups for 2 days. Body weight, height, fat percentage, skin fold thickness of the triceps and abdomen, and the circumference of the waist and hips were measured. The results showed that abdominal skin fold thickness was significantly associated with body fat percentage, the triceps skin fold thickness, and circumferences of the waist and hip in both young females and males. No correlation was found between abdominal skinfold thickness and either daily fluid intake, urinary excretion, or water balance in these young adults.