The Effect of Hydration on Postprandial Metabolic Responses

Loughborough University

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Glycaemia

Treatments: Other: Water restriction; Other: Water intake

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06825962

2025-20370

Details and patient eligibility

About

Certain populations, such as industrial workers and endurance athletes are particularly susceptible to dehydration due to exposure to heat for long periods of time causing evaporative water loss via sweating. The physical and cognitive decrements associated with dehydration have been widely researched, however the effect of dehydration on metabolism is lesser known. As climate change is causing temperatures to rise, and metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes are more common, the effect of dehydration on metabolism, specifically glycemic response to meals, needs to be established for future recommendations in clinical, environmental and athletic settings.

Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the effect of acute exercise-induced dehydration on subsequent metabolic responses to feeding (i.e. glycaemia and insulinaemia).

Enrollment: 16 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 45 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Male or female
• Generally fit and healthy
• Participate in endurance or intermittent exercise at least 3 times a week or minimum of 150 minutes moderate intensity activity per week

Exclusion criteria

• < 18 or > 45
• Any health condition that may affect study outcomes (e.g., endocrine/liver/renal/cardiovascular disease)
• Any morbidity that affects ability to cycle
• Smoker or vaper

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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16 participants in 2 patient groups

Euhydrated

Experimental group

Description:

Light exercise in a hot environment with water ingested to fully replace sweat losses and maintain euhydration.

Treatment:

Other: Water intake

Hypohydrated

Experimental group

Description:

Light exercise in a hot environment with water restricted to induce hypohydration of \~3% body mass through sweating.

Treatment:

Other: Water restriction