DEHYDRATION IN SOCCER PLAYERS AFTER A MATCH IN THE HEAT

We investigated the level of dehydration after a match in 20 soccer players (mean +/- SD, 17.9 +/- 1.3 years old, height 1.75 +/- 0.05 m, body mass 70.71 +/- 7.65 kg) from two teams that participate in a Brazilian Championship game performed at a temperature of 29 +/- 1.1 C and a relative humidity of 64 +/- 4.2%. Body mass, urine specific gravity and urinary protein were measured before and after the match, and self-perception measurements were performed during the match. Body mass loss was 1.00 +/- 0.39 kg, corresponding to a dehydration percentage of 1.35 +/- 0.87%. The mean sweating rate during the match was 866 +/- 319 ml.h(-1) and total fluid intake was 1265.00 +/- 505.45 ml. The sweating rate and the quantity of ingested fluids correlated positively (r = 0.98; P<0.05). Protein occurred in the urine in 18 soccer players. The players showed no perception of thirst and considered themselves as comfortable during the match. At the end of the match the soccer players replaced 57.7 +/- 15% of the water loss and presented a condition of significant to severe dehydration based on the post-match urine specific gravity data (1.027 +/- 6 g.ml(-1)). The results of this study demonstrate that most of the soccer players began the match with some degree of dehydration that worsened during the match.