Comparison between blood and urinary fluid balance indices during dehydrating exercise and the subsequent hypohydration when fluid is not restored

Abstract

Blood serum osmolality (S (OSM)) is the gold standard to assess body fluid balance. Urine specific gravity (U (SG)) is also a body fluid balance index but it is not invasive. However, U (SG) capability to detect the minimal level of dehydration that affects athletic performance (i.e., 2 %) remains untested. We collected urine and blood samples in eighteen euhydrated trained athletes in the morning and that evening while dehydrating by 1, 2, and 3 % of body mass by cycling (60 % VO₂peak) in the heat (32 °C, 46 % rh, 2.5 m s(-1) air flow). At 9:00 pm, subjects left the laboratory and went to bed after ingesting 0.7 ± 0.2 L of a sports drink. The next morning, subjects awoke 3 % hypohydrated, and blood and urine samples were collected and test terminated. We found that 2 % dehydration increased S (OSM) and U (SG) above exercise-baseline values (P < 0.05). The next morning, S (OSM) and U (SG) remained elevated compared to the first morning while euhydrated (287 ± 5 vs. 282 ± 3 mOsmol kg(-1) H(2)O and 1.028 ± 0.003 vs. 1.017 ± 0.005, respectively, P < 0.05). However, when comparing 3 % dehydration (end of exercise) to 3 % hypohydration (next morning), U (SG) increased (1.025 ± 0.003 to 1.028 ± 0.003; P < 0.05) while S (OSM) decreased (295 ± 5 to 287 ± 5 mOsmol kg(-1) H(2)O; P < 0.05). In summary, during exercise-induced dehydration, U (SG) is as sensitive as S (OSM) to detect low levels of dehydration (i.e., 2 %). Both indices maintain the ability to detect a 3 % overnight hypohydration although S (OSM) approaches euhydration values, while U (SG) remains a superior index to detect hypohydration.