Post-exercise rehydration in man: effects of volume consumed and drink sodium content

TLDR

A drink volume exceeding sweat loss must be ingested to restore fluid balance, but without sufficient sodium this merely increases urinary output. The study examined how fluid volume and sodium concentration interact to influence rehydration effectiveness. Twelve male volunteers, dehydrated by ~2 % body mass through intermittent cycling, consumed either a low‑sodium (23 mmol L⁻¹) or high‑sodium (61 mmol L⁻¹) drink at 50 %, 100 %, 150 %, or 200 % of their loss, with blood and urine sampled for 7.5 h post‑exercise. Urine output was lowest when 50 % of loss was replaced and increased with larger volumes, and high‑sodium drinks reduced excretion more than low‑sodium drinks, indicating that sodium concentration and fluid volume jointly affect rehydration.

Abstract

The interaction between the volume and composition of fluids ingested was investigated in terms of rehydration effectiveness. Twelve male volunteers, dehydrated by 2.06 +/- 0.02% (mean +/- SE) of body mass by intermittent cycle exercise, consumed a different drink volume on four separate weeks; six subjects received drink L (23 mmol.l-1 Na+) in each trial and six were given drink H (61 mmol.l-1 Na+). Volumes consumed were equivalent to 50%, 100%, 150%, and 200% of body mass loss (trials A, B, C, and D, respectively). Blood and urine samples were obtained before exercise and for 7.5 h after exercise. Less urine was excreted following rehydration in trial A than in all other trials. Cumulative urine output (median ml) was less in trial B (493, range 181-731) than D (1361, range 1014-1984), which was not different from trial C (867, range 263-1191) in group L. In group H, the volume excreted in trial B (260, range 137-376) was less than trials C (602, range 350-994) and D (1001, range 714-1425), and the volume in trial C was less than in trial D. These results suggest that both sodium concentration and fluid volume consumed interact to affect the rehydration process. A drink volume greater than sweat loss during exercise must be ingested to restore fluid balance, but unless the sodium content of the beverage is sufficiently high this will merely result in an increased urinary output.