Effects of rehydration fluid temperature and composition on body weight retention upon voluntary drinking following exercise-induced dehydration

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of beverage temperature and composition on weight retention and fluid balance upon voluntary drinking following exercise induced-dehydration. Eight men who were not acclimated to heat participated in four randomly ordered testing sessions. In each session, the subjects ran on a treadmill in a chamber maintained at 37℃ without being supplied fluids until 2% body weight reduction was reached. After termination of exercise, they recovered for 90 min under ambient air conditions and received one of the following four test beverages: 10℃ water (10W), 10℃ sports drink (10S), 26℃ water (26W), and 26℃ sports drink (26S). They consumed the beverages ad libitum. The volume of beverage consumed and body weight were measured at 30, 60, and 90 min post-recovery. Blood samples were taken before and immediately after exercise as well as at the end of recovery in order to measure plasma parameters and electrolyte concentrations. We found that mean body weight decreased by 1.8-2.0% following exercise. No differences in mean arterial pressure, plasma volume, plasma osmolality, and blood electrolytes were observed among the conditions. Total beverage volumes consumed were 1,164 ± 388, 1,505 ± 614, 948 ± 297, and 1,239 ± 401 ml for 10W, 10S, 26W, and 26S respectively (P > 0.05). Weight retention at the end of recovery from dehydration was highest in 10S (1.3 ± 0.7 kg) compared to 10W (0.4 ± 0.5 kg), 26W (0.4 ± 0.4 kg), and (0.6 ± 0.4 kg) (P < 0.005). Based on these results, carbohydrate/electrolyte-containing beverages at cool temperature were the most favorable for consumption and weight retention compared to plain water and moderate temperature beverages.