Drinking Strategy for Improving Indicators of Hydration Status in High School Football Players

Abstract

0372 Dehydration can adversly affect athletic performance and capacity. In sports where multiple practice sessions and/or competitions occur, inadequate hydration can be a concern. In preliminary studies on high-school football players during two-a-day training, we observed chronically high values for urine specific gravity (≥1.02 g/mL in 60 to 80% of players) prior to the morning practice session. PURPOSE: The present study was designed to determine if simple drinking strategies could improve indicators of hydration status in the players. METHODS: Study participants were 46 male high school football players. Body weight (BW) and urine specific gravity (USG) were measured on two consecutive mornings prior to the morning practice of two-a-day sessions. After measurements on Day 1 were taken, participants were asked to consume 20 oz of fluid in the time after dinner but before bed, and 20 oz of fluid after waking but before practice. Differences in BW and USG were assessed using a paired t-test. RESULTS: Mean BW on Day 1 was 81.2 kg and on Day 2 81.7 kg. On Day 1 the mean USG was 1.021 g/mL and 1.016 g/mL on Day 2. There was a significant increase in body weight from Day 1 to Day 2 (p < 0.01) and a significant decrease in USG from Day 1 to Day 2 (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: A simple drinking strategy was beneficial in improving markers of hydration in a group of high school football players during two-a-day practices. Further research needs to be done to see if improvement in these measures translates into better performance.