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Hydration and Human Athletic Performance: A Meta-Analysis
Date
2013Type
ThesisDepartment
Biology
Degree Level
Honors Thesis
Degree Name
Biology
Abstract
It is claimed by the US Army and International Olympic Committee that
dehydration, especially if greater than 2% body mass lost, impairs performance in
exercise (Cheuvront, Carter, & Sawka, 2003; Convertino et al., 1996; Rodriguez, Di
Marco, & Langley, 2009). Yet many runners and cyclists experience exercise-induced
dehydration while maintaining excellent performance—and even setting record times.
Using a meta-analysis, I tested the veracity of the claims that exercise-induced
dehydration impairs exercise performance. The analysis compared euhydrated and
dehydrated groups that performed either fixed-intensity (e.g., cycling or treadmill
protocols maintained at constant speed until exhaustion) or variable-intensity exercise
(e.g., running a marathon). A random effects meta-analysis was used to estimate the
range of effect sizes associated with dehydration. Dehydration significantly diminished
the performance of athletes during fixed-intensity exercises. In contrast, dehydration
slightly improved the performance of athletes during variable-intensity exercises.
Hydration thus had a significant effect on the performance of endurance athletes, but the
effects of dehydration depend on the nature of the physical activity.
Permanent link
http://hdl.handle.net/11714/514Additional Information
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