A Comparison of Three Fluid Replacement Strategies for Maintaining Euhydration During Prolonged Exercise
The effectiveness of a new water delivery system (the Water-Del) was examined for maintaining euhydration compared to other fluid replacement strategies. Subjects (N = 10) performed three 60-min cycling trials (@ 50% of VO2max) in an environmental chamber (27 °C; RH = 50%). Trials were randomly assigned from Water-Del (metered: 200 ml water every 15 min), ad libitum every 15 min (ad-lib-15), and ad libitum (ad-lib). Total water intake (TWI), changes in plasma volume (ΔPV), body Weight (ΔBW), thirst, skin temperature (Tsk), and heart rate (HR) were measured. A significant difference (p ≤.05) among trials was observed for TWI, with metered (1.200 ± 0.12 ml) being greater than ad-lib-15 (358 ± 48 ml) and ad-lib (522 ± 106 ml). No significant difference was found for ΔPV. A significant difference (p ≤.05) for ΔHW was observed with metered (0.28 ± 0.16 kg) being different than ad-lib-l5 (−0.63 ± 0.12 kg) and ad-lib (−0.34 ± 0.14 kg). No significant differences (p > .05) were found for thirst, Tsk, or HR. The Water-Del provides for greater fluid intake during exercise compared to other replacement strategies. Key words: hydration, dehydration, plasma volume