Urinary excretion of electrolytes during prolonged physical activity in normal man

Nine normal young male students were studied during 2 days of relative rest, during 2 days of physical training and again during the succeeding 2 days of relative rest. Twenty-four hour urine collections showed that sodium and potassium excretion were lower during the exercise days, while urinary aldosterone excretion was increased. No differences in the 24-h urinary excretion of creatinine, calcium, and magnesium were found between the resting and exercise days. Hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit and red cell counts were decreased at 14 h and 42 h after exercise; these findings together with the increased serum bilirubin concentration could result from hemolysis. Plasma renin activity, angiotensin II and aldosterone concentration were increased 14 h after exercise but returned to baseline 42 h after exercise. Our data shows that one should take into account previous exercise when interpreting results of certain of these tests.