Sweat Rate and Sweat Electrolyte Composition in International Female Soccer Players during Game Specific Training

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the sweat rate and sweat electrolyte composition in female international level soccer players. Thirteen soccer players performed two 90 min soccer-specific training sessions (T1 and T2) on separate days. Hydration status was determined prior to each session and sweat loss, sweat rate and sweat composition (Na (+), K (+), Mg (++) and Ca (+)) were determined from patches worn during training. The mean sweat rate during T1 and T2 was 0.50+/-0.20 and 0.43+/-0.18 L.h (-1) respectively (P>0.05). The mean sweat electrolyte composition during T1 and T2 was: [Na (+)]: 43.9+/-15.0 and 46.2+/-7.9 mmol.L (-1); [K (+)]: 6.1+/-1.1 and 5.2+/-1.1 mmol.L (-1); [Mg (++)]: 0.1+/-0.0 and 0.1+/-0.0 mmol.L (-1); [Ca (+)]: 1.2+/-0.5 and 0.7+/-0.1 mmol.L (-1), respectively. When data from T1 and T2 were combined, there were no relationships between sweat rate and sweat concentration of any electrolyte. In conclusion, the sweat rate and sweat electrolyte losses in this cohort of international female soccer players, during soccer-specific training in cool conditions, were small. Electrolyte losses of this magnitude are unlikely to require special consideration in terms of optimising player hydration.

Prevalence of Dehydration Before Training Sessions, Friendly and Official Matches in Elite Female Soccer Players

“…This difference can be explained by the fact that in the Gibson et al’s study there were much lower temperatures when compared to the present study (9.8°C vs 28°C). Kilding et al (2009) evaluated 13 professional female soccer players prior to two friendly matches and indicated average USG of 1.014 ± 0.005 and 1.011 ± 0.005, respectively (both corresponding to minimal dehydration); in the present study average friendly match USG was 1.023 ± 0.010 (corresponding to significant dehydration). We attribute these discrepancies to the difference in temperature in each study and possibly to different hydration strategies.…”

Sweating Rate and Sweat Sodium Concentration in Athletes: A Review of Methodology and Intra/Interindividual Variability

“…Another important factor to consider is the timing of absorbent patch removal from the skin. A wide range in the duration of sweat collection has been reported, with some laboratory studies suggesting a maximum of 5 min [61], while approximately 15–30 min [116–119], or even up to approximately 90 min [10, 11, 13] has commonly been reported in field studies. Few studies have investigated the impact of patch adherence time on LSR or sweat [Na + ].…”

Are Habitual Hydration Strategies of Female Rugby League Players Sufficient to Maintain Fluid Balance and Blood Sodium Concentration During Training and Match-Play? A Research Note From the Field

“…Alternatively, the findings of this study supports previous 11 observations demonstrating larger sweat losses in males than females, although when expressed relative to body mass, the magnitude of difference between female (in this study) and male rugby league players is small (0.29 ± 0.09 vs. 0.34 ± 0.10 mL·min On average, during match-play, female rugby league players consumed less fluid than male rugby league players (1.56 ± 0.57 L; (17)), which appears to reconcile with sweat loss data, (i.e., if players sweat less they need to consume less fluid). The body mass change during matchplay was modest in comparison to male rugby league players (-1.32% (17)), and similar to female soccer players (12). At no point during this study, did body mass loss exceed 2% for any player.…”