Effects of Hydration Changes on Neuromuscular Function of Athletes With Low Water Intake

Status: Recruiting
Location: See location...
Intervention Type: Other
Study Type: Interventional
Study Phase: Not Applicable
SUMMARY

Greater muscular strength and power are relevant qualities for athletic success and decreased injury rate. It is known that dehydration impairs muscular strength and power, although the explanation for this association is not entirely clear. Besides morphological factors, strength production also depends on neural factors which in turn can be affected by dehydration. Some studies tested the effects of dehydration on neuromuscular function using electromyography (EMG) analysis. However, there is no consensus among those studies. Additionally, exercise may disturb water balance. This can further lead to dehydration if the athlete does not properly rehydrate. In this sense, the scientific evidence has identified people who are considered low drinkers that may be more susceptible to cellular shrinkage, potentially impairing health and performance. Thus, it would be expected that athletes regularly exposed to lower amounts of water intake would have beneficial effects in both performance and health if higher water ingestion was promoted, namely an improved neuromuscular function via enhanced cellular hydration. However, any potential benefit of increasing water intake on neuromuscular function is still to be determined using well-designed experimental studies and state-of-the-art methods. Lastly, there is no consensus regarding the diagnosis of dehydration in athletes. The identification of simple indices to measure dehydration in athletes is crucial as many may be inaccurately diagnosed.

Eligibility
Participation Requirements
Sex: All
Minimum Age: 18
Maximum Age: 35
Healthy Volunteers: t
View:

• Highly trained athletes (i.e., participating in national and international championships and/or ≥6 h of training per week)

• Athletes considered low drinkers (i.e., total water intake ≤ 35ml/kg/)

• Aged between 18 and 35 years

• Living in Lisbon and/or its surroundings

• All women should have a (self-reported) normal menstrual cycle (i.e., cycles at median intervals of less than 35 days)

• Completion of the sport's medical examination

Locations
Other Locations
Portugal
Faculdade Motricidade Humana
RECRUITING
Lisbon
Contact Information
Primary
Ruben Francisco, MSc
rubenfrancisco@fmh.ulisboa.pt
910943132
Backup
Filipe Jesus, MSc
filipejesus@fmh.ulisboa.pt
915970380
Time Frame
Start Date: 2021-11-01
Estimated Completion Date: 2024-12-31
Participants
Target number of participants: 50
Treatments
Experimental: Experimental group
Over a 4-day period, participants randomly assigned to the experimental group will be instructed to maintain normal solid food choices, but to increase water intake to achieve a total water intake of ≥45ml/kg/day. Prepared bottles of water with the required amount will be given to each participant every morning and collected empty the following day. Instructions to drink small amounts of water every hour be transmitted.~Adherence to instructions regarding water intake will be determined by the return of drinking bottles, analysis of daily food records, assessment of water flux (i.e., collecting urines after subjects being dosed with deuterium), and daily screening questions. These samples will be delivered on a subsequent morning during a daily laboratory visit to collect urine and saliva samples, as well as BI assessment. On the 4th day, participants will perform a neuromuscular function assessment.
No_intervention: Control group
Participants randomly assigned to the control group will be instructed to maintain normal solid food choices and water intake based on their average intake reported on the food records. Adherence to instructions regarding water intake will be determined and assessments performed will occur as mentioned previously for the experimental group.
Related Therapeutic Areas
Sponsors
Leads: Faculdade de Motricidade Humana

This content was sourced from clinicaltrials.gov