EFFECTS OF ACACIA HONEY DRINK SUPPLEMENTATION DURING REHYDRATION AFTER EXERCISE ON PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AND SUBSEQUENT RUNNING PERFORMANCE IN THE HEAT

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Date
2012-06
Authors
AIDI - NAIM, MOHAMAD SAMSANI
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Pusat Pengajian Sains Perubatan Universiti Sains Malaysia
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Prolonged exercise in a hot and humid environment will result in glycogen depletion and associated with loss of body fluid. Carbohydrate contained in sports beverages is beneficial for improving sports performance and preventing or reduced dehydration. Carbohydrate contained in honey can served as a useful alternative form of carbohydrate for enhancing sports performance. This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of honey drink compared to sports drink as post exercise recovery aids for subsequent running time trial performance and physiological parameters in a hot and humid environment. METHOD: 10 male recreational athletes (age: 22.2 ± 2.0 years, VO2max: 51.5 ± 3.7 ml.kg-1.min-1) participated in this randomized cross-over study. On each trial, subjects were required to run for 1 hour in the glycogen depletion phase (Run-1), followed by a rehydration phase for 2 hours and subsequently a 20 minutes time trial performance (Run-2). During Run-1, subjects were required to run on the treadmill in the heat (31°C) with 70% relative humidity at 70 % of their VO2max. During rehydration phase subjects drank either honey drink or sports drink or plain water with amount equivalent to 150% of body weight loss in dispersed interval (60 %, 50 % and 40 %) at 0 min, 30 min and 60 min respectively. Subsequently, time trial was performed by the subject in 20 minutes and the longest distance covered was recorded. Physiological parameters were analysed using two-way ANOVA with repeated measure and time trial performance was analysed using one-way ANOVA. RESULTS: The present study showed that Acacia honey elicited a better time trial performance with significantly longer distance compared to water trial (P = 0.03, P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference between Acacia honey and sport drink trials (P = 0.729, P > 0.05). Acacia honey and sports drink trials elicited 249 m (8.24 %) and 211 m (6.79 %) longer in distance compared to the water trial respectively. For physiological parameters, plasma glucose, plasma insulin and plasma free fatty acids in Acacia honey and sports drink trials were significantly higher compared to the water trial respectively during rehydration phase and time trial running performance phase. However, there were no significant differences in body weight changes, oxygen uptake, heart rate, rate of perceived exertion, tympanic temperature, room temperature, relative humidity, hematocrit, plasma volume changes, plasma cortisol and urine parameters in all the trials. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that rehydration with Acacia honey and sports drink elicited greater beneficial effects on running performance and physiological parameters compared to water trial. However, statistical significance was only observed between Acacia honey and water in running time trial performance. Thus, Acacia honey drink has potential to be used as an ergogenic aid for rehydration purposes in athletes who train and compete in hot and humid environment.
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Sports Science
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