The Effect of Hydration on Postprandial Metabolic Responses

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).