Drink composition and the electrolyte balance of children exercising in the heat.

Twelve 9- to 12-year-old children (6 boys, 6 girls) performed four exercise-in-heat (35 degrees C, 45% RH) trials which differed in the composition of the fluids they drank. In each trial, subjects cycled for one 20-min and two 15-min bouts at 50% peak VO2 with 10-min rest periods in between. In a fourth bout, they cycled at 90% peak VO2 until exhaustion. Drinks had the same grape flavor and were assigned in a double-blind design and in a …