A Fluid Shift for Endurance Exercise - Why Hydration Matters

As modern-day humans, we still bear the genetic heritage of our ancestors who evolved under conditions very different from today and who were selected for a great amount of daily physical exercise.1 We should be aware of this two-million-year-old heritage 2 and include physical exercise in our everyday lives to prevent civilization-induced disorders, as for example metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases,3 and to stay physically and mentally fit.4 Indeed, regular endurance training has many beneficial consequences such as improved cardiovascular function, lower morbidity, and mortality rates and overall improved physical fitness.5-7 Moreover, exercise training may even reverse pathological changes associated with diseases of civilization.