Hydration: athletic performance

Professor Timothy Noakes, author of Waterlogged, discusses achieving the balance between drinking sufficient amounts during exercise, but not over-drinking.

Optimum hydration is essential for athletic performance; athletes perform better when they ingest sufficient amounts of fluid during exercise. However, the advent of the sports drinks industry in the 1980s produced a profound change in the guidelines for hydration in endurance sport – from restricting fluid intake to consuming large volumes of fluid during exercise. The sports drinks industry generated an alleged need to drink as much as possible before and during exercise, however, excessive fluid intake in a bid to stay ‘ahead of thirst’ can impair athletic performance as much as not drinking anything.

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