A new study reveals that people who are physically fit may be more prepared to deal with the negative effects of dehydration.
The study was conducted by researchers from the University of California, Riverside in the United States, and the results of the study were published in the Journal of Physiology and Behavior on October 21, and the Eurek Alert website wrote about it.
Professor Theodore Garland, who led the research team, said: “Fitness has many known benefits, but this research highlights a benefit that people may not have considered.”
He added, “Having good physical fitness may help the body and brain better deal with the challenges of dehydration.”
The study began as an exploration of how dehydration affects voluntary activity. The researchers looked at how 24-hour water deprivation affected voluntary treadmill running behavior and body mass in laboratory mice.
The study used mice from high-running strains, which ran approximately three times more than standard control mice.
“These high-running mice have been selectively bred for more than 30 years. They consistently show a high drive to run, even when their food is restricted or sleep deprived. They are a kind of endurance athlete in the mouse world,” Garland said.
Replace the reward with another reward
High running mice and control mice of both sexes ran on wheels for 6 days. On the seventh day, the researchers removed water from half of the mice for 24 hours, while the other mice were given free access to water.
“What we found was surprising: High-running mice ran longer distances and faster when they did not have access to water, and in some cases, for longer periods,” Garland said.
Although their body weight decreased – a sign of dehydration – their activity levels increased.
Dehydration is associated with fatigue and lack of activity, but it was interesting to see that these mice increased their running in this state.
The team suggests a possible explanation for this is a behavioral phenomenon known as reward substitution. In this theory, rats replace the reward they normally get from drinking water with the reward they get from running.
“As global temperatures rise and water availability decreases, dehydration is becoming a more common challenge,” he said. “Our data suggest that fitter individuals may be better able to maintain performance, even when mildly dehydrated.”
Garland cautions that the study should not be interpreted as a recommendation to restrict water intake.