Muscle water and electrolytes following varied levels of dehydration in man

In an effort to assess the effects of dehydration on the content of water and electrolytes (Na+, K+, Cl-, and Mg2+) in plasma and muscle tissue, eight men exercised in the heat (39.5 degrees C, 25%). Blood urine, and muscle biopsy samples were obtained before exercise and after the subjects had reduced their body weight by 2.2, 4.1, and 5.8%. On the average, plasma and muscle water (H2Om) contents were found to decline 2.4 and 1.2% for each percent decrease in body weight. Muscle sodium (Na+m) and chloride (Cl-m) content remained unchanged with dehydration, while muscle magnesium (Mg2+m) declined 12% as a result of the 5.8% dehydration. In terms of intracellular concentrations, K+i increased 7.2 and 10.6% at the 2.2 and 4.1% dehydration levels, respectively. Calculations of the resting membrane potential suggest that the water and electrolyte losses observed in these studies do not significantly alter the excitability of the muscle cell membrane.