title: Effect of beverage flavor on body hydration in Hong Kong Chinese children exercising in a hot environment.
abstract: The purpose of the current study was to examine the effect of flavor on voluntary drinking and thermoregulatory responses in Chinese boys and girls exercising intermittently in a hot environment. Fourteen boys and girls (9 to 11 years old) performed four 3-hour intermittent exercise sessions (20-min walking sessions at 50% VO2peak followed by a 25-minute rest period) in a hot and humid environment (~30 °C ambient temperature and ~70% relative humidity). The participants consumed 1 of 4 beverages ad libitum in a randomized sequence by using a Latin-square principle: unflavored water (W), orange-flavored water (OF), lemon-flavored water (LF), and grape-flavored water (GF). No differences were observed in the total fluid intake (W vs. OF vs. LF vs. GF: Boys, 441 ± 114 vs. 493 ± 106 vs. 387 ± 83 vs. 568 ± 146 ml; Girls, 613 ± 131 vs. 923 ± 204 vs. 825 ± 157 vs. 790 ± 166 ml), urine and sweat output, and physiological perceptual variables among trials and between sexes. The results suggested that Chinese children can maintain body fluid balance while exercising moderately in a hot and humid environment by ad libitum drinking. The flavor of the beverages had no impact on the voluntary drinking and the state of hydration in the current study.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Sports Science and Physical Education, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Stephen Heung-Sang
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Feng Hua
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D001628:Beverages; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation; D002648:Child; D003681:Dehydration / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004327:Drinking Behavior; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006358:Hot Temperature / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013546:Sweating; D055697:Taste Perception; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology; D014882:Water-Electrolyte Balance