Effects of aerobic fitness on hypohydration-induced physiological strain and exercise impairment.
OBJECTIVE
Hypohydration exacerbates cardiovascular and thermal strain and can impair exercise capacity in temperate and warm conditions. Yet, athletes often dehydrate in exercise, are hypervolaemic and have less cardiovascular sensitivity to acute hypervolaemia. We tested the hypothesis that trained individuals have less cardiovascular, thermoregulatory and performance affect of hypohydration during exercise.


METHODS
After familiarization, six trained [VO(2 peak) = 64 (SD 8) mL kg(-1) min(-1)] and six untrained [O(2 peak) = 45 (4) mL kg(-1) min(-1)] males cycled 40 min at 70%O(2 peak) while euhydrated or hypohydrated by 1.5-2.0% body mass (crossover design), before a 40-min work trial with euhydration or ad libitum drinking (in Hypohydration trial), in temperate conditions (24.3 degrees C, RH 50%, v(a) = 4.5 m s(-1)). Baseline hydration was by complete or partial rehydration from exercise+heat stress the previous evening.


RESULTS
During constant workload, heart rate and its drift were increased in Hypohydration compared with Euhydration for Untrained [drift: 33 (11) vs. 24 beats min(-1) h(-1) (10), 95% CI 5-11] but not Trained [14 (3) vs. 13 beats min(-1) h(-1) (3), CI -2 to 3; P = 0.01 vs. Untrained]. Similarly, rectal temperature drift was faster in Hypohydration for Untrained only [by 0.57 degrees C h(-1) (0.25); P = 0.03 vs. Trained], concomitant with their reduced sweat rate (P = 0.05) and its relation to plasma osmolality (P = 0.03). Performance power tended to be reduced for Untrained (-13%, CI -35 to 2) and Trained (-7%, CI: -16 to 1), without an effect of fitness (P = 0.38).


CONCLUSIONS
Mild hypohydration exacerbated cardiovascular and thermoregulatory strain and tended to impair endurance performance, but aerobic fitness attenuated the physiological effects.
Merry
T L
TL
School of Physical Education, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Ainslie
P N
PN
Cotter
J D
JD
D000328:Adult; D001642:Bicycling; D001826:Body Fluids; D001831:Body Temperature; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D001834:Body Water / Q000502:physiology; D003681:Dehydration / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004326:Drinking; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology*; D005082:Physical Exertion / Q000502:physiology; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013546:Sweating / Q000502:physiology