Levels of thirst and ad libitum drinking decrease with advancing age, making older people vulnerable to dehydration. This study investigated age-related changes in brain responses to thirst and drinking in healthy men. Thirst was induced with hypertonic infusions (3.1 ml/kg 0.51M NaCl) in young (Y) and older (O) subjects. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured with positron emission tomography (PET). Thirst activations were identified by correlating rCBF with thirst ratings. Average rCBF was measured from regions [...]

To determine if athletes' muscle mass affects the usefulness of urine specific gravity (U(sg)) as a hydration index. Nine rugby players and nine endurance runners differing in the amount of muscle mass (42 +/- 6 vs. 32 +/- 3 kg, respectively; P = 0.0002) were recruited. At waking during six consecutive days, urine was collected [...]

PURPOSE: This article aimed to study the effect of preexercise ingestion of an electrolyte-containing beverage and meal on fluid balance during exercise in men and women. METHODS: Twenty healthy, college-aged people (10 males, 10 females; mean +/- SD = 51.2 +/- 9.8 mL x kg x min(-1)) exercised at 58 +/- 4% V O 2 peak for 90 min, 45 min after ingesting 355 mL of [...]

To determine how the sodium content of ingested fluids affects drinking and the restoration of the body fluid compartments after dehydration, we studied six subjects during 4 h of recovery from 90-110 min of a heat [36 degrees C, less than 30% relative humidity (rh)] and exercise (40% maximal aerobic power) exposure, which caused body [...]