Dolci A. et al. 2022
Personalized prediction of optimal water intake in adult population by blended use of machine learning and clinical data
Abstract
Background
Growing evidence suggests that sustained concentrated urine contributes to chronic metabolic and kidney diseases. Recent results indicate that a daily urinary concentration of 500 mOsm/kg reflects optimal hydration.
Objective
To provide personalized advice for daily water intake considering personal intrinsic (age, sex, height, weight) and extrinsic (food and fluid intakes) characteristics to achieve a target urine osmolality (UOsm) of 500 mOsm/kg using machine learning and optimization algorithms.
Design
Data from clinical trials on hydration (4 randomized and 3 non-randomized trials) were analyzed. Several machine learning methods were tested to predict UOsm. The predictive performance of the developed algorithm was evaluated against current dietary guidelines.
Results
Features linked to urine production and fluid consumption were listed among the most important features with relative importance values ranging from 0.10 to 0.95. XGBoost appeared the most performing approach (Mean Absolute Error (MAE) = 124.99) to predict UOsm. The developed algorithm exhibited the highest overall correct classification rate (85.5%) versus that of dietary guidelines (77.8%).
Conclusions
This machine learning application provides personalized advice for daily water intake to achieve optimal hydration and may be considered as a primary prevention tool to counteract the increased incidence of chronic metabolic and kidney diseases.
A word from our expert, Tiphaine Vanhaecke, France:
The link between adequate water intake and health is growing stronger every day. This work is a first step towards ensuring individual optimal water intake based on clinical data and artificial intelligence modelization. Potentially this will show a powerful tool to promote health at population level via the application of a new methodological approach and the already robust evidence supporting a role for optimal hydration in preventing diseases.
