Growth hormone and prolactin response to rehydration during exercise: effect of water and carbohydrate solutions

Summary The effect of progressive rehydration with either water or a carbohydrate solution on the plasma growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL) response to exercise was examined together with plasma somatostatin. Five subjects underwent four 3-h experimental sessions at 36°C in which 25-min exercise periods alternated with 5-min rest periods. The sessions were conducted without fluid replacement (DH) or under rehydration with either water or isosmotic carbohydrate solutions AISO (acid) or NISO (neutral). The fluid was given every 10 min after the 1st h of exercise. Plasma GH increased significantly (p < 0.01) under DH after 2 and 3 h of exercise; this increase was prevented by rehydration with water, AISO and NISO. Plasma glucose was significantly higher following AISO and NISO rehydration compared with DH. This possibly influenced the GH response, but there was no difference between plasma glucose levels under DH and water rehydration at any time. The solutions tended to attenuate the increase in heart rate, rectal temperature and plasma cortisol, suggesting that the lack of GH response under rehydration conditions is a result of decreasing physiological stress levels. The GH response could not be explained by plasma somatostatin, which tended to decline in all sessions. Plasma PRL did not increase in any of the sessions, confirming that exercise without rehydration is a more potent stimulator of GH than of PRL. It is concluded that progressive rehydration with water is sufficient to prevent the exercise-induced increase in plasma GH.