Effect of alkali ion water intake before and after exercise on water volume in the blood during recovery phase

Abstract

Physical condition begins to feel abnormal with a water loss of several percent of body weight. In this study subjects drank alkali ion water and neutral water before and after exercise, and the water volume in the blood and serum osmotic pressure dynamics were evaluated. The usefulness of alkali ion water intake before and after exercise in recovering from dehydration due to exercise was investigated. The subjects were ten healthy male university students. The drinks used were commercially available alkali ion water as the experimental drink and neutral water as the placebo. Exercise was done for 30 min on a bicycle ergometer. Water volume in the blood and serum osmotic pressure were determined using blood component tests. The water volume in blood was higher in the alkali ion water group than in the neutral water group, indicating the effectiveness of alkali ion water in maintaining the amount of water in the blood. In addition, in the alkali ion water group serum osmotic pressure showed a significant decrease, and the amount of water in the blood increased. The rate of absorption was therefore high and considered to be effective in maintaining a sufficient water volume in the blood. It is possible that increases in the amount of plasma may also be expected with alkali ion water intake, suggesting the effectiveness of alkali ion water in the recovery of water volume in the blood following dehydration due to exercise.