Influencia de la mineralización del agua de bebida en la capacidad de trabajo físico y velocidad de rehidratación tras ejercicio físico en situación de estrés ambiental

Abstract

Introduction: Water, as the most abundant component of the human body, is indispensable for life. However, water in nature contains dissolved minerals, which are essential in the mechanisms that regulate the body's water balance. From the point of view of sport, achieving the most effective hydration possible before, during and after activity is of vital importance in order to optimise performance. In everyday situations, the mechanisms that regulate water-electrolyte balance, with access to drink, ensure that there are no major variations throughout the day and that thirst is a good mechanism for controlling water intake. When we engage in physical activity, another major factor (temperature) causes imbalance and the internal environment is stressed much more sharply, and thirst is no longer sufficient to regulate the internal environment. If the physical activity is also intense and takes place under extreme environmental conditions (high temperature and humidity) and with restricted water intake, all the mechanisms of water and electrolyte regulation come into play, showing the enormous complexity of their interactions. The aim of the study is to analyse how rehydration occurs after high-intensity physical exercise and in a situation of environmental stress, depending on the different mineralisation of the drinking water used, and to determine whether these drinks can help to achieve a better recovery of the water level and a faster capacity for physical work. Methods: A study was carried out with high-level amateur cyclists consisting of two sessions of maximum effort (ninety minutes on a cycle ergometer) in very adverse conditions of heat and humidity, and with complete restriction of water intake during the effort. Subsequently, each athlete was rehydrated with a volume of water corresponding to 150% of the body weight lost. After a randomisation process, rehydration was carried out in one session with very weakly mineralised water and in the other session, highly mineralised Cabreiroá Magma® mineral water was used. Results: Rehydration with Cabreiroá's Magma® mineral water has facilitated a much more efficient, effective and efficient rehydration. The biochemical parameters of blood and urine clearly show that the regulatory mechanisms of the water-electrolyte balance are favoured by the high mineralisation. It is extremely important to note that diuresis with weakly mineralised water was twice as high as with Cabreiroá's Magma® mineral water. Conclusion: In athletes subjected to dehydration after physical exercise in a situation of environmental stress, rehydration with Cabreiroá Magma® water is more effective than with very weakly mineralised water.