Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Drinking soda and other sugary drinks during workouts in hot temperatures could increase a person's chances of developing kidney disease, a new study says.
Study participants became more dehydrated and levels of vasopressin in their blood elevated, indicating a rise in blood pressure after drinking soft drinks and sugary beverages following workout sessions, according to findings published January in American Physiological Society.
"The consumption of soft drinks during and following exercise in the heat does not rehydrate," the researchers said in a news release.
Researchers at the University at Buffalo in New York created a 95 degrees Fahrenheit environment within a laboratory.
For the study, participants drank 16 ounces of a high-fructose, caffeinated soft drink, or water, between four workout sessions of 45 minutes each. After drinking the soft drink, researchers report that many participants developed higher levels of creatinine in the blood and lower glomerular filtration rates, which marks kidney injury. Those drinking water did not display these changes.
Before completing the study, the participants drank one liter or a volume equal to 115 percent of high-fructose, caffeinated soft drink or water.
During and after the soft drink trial, the participants who drank soft drinks reported mild dehydration.
Other studies have linked soft drinks to a heightened risk for kidney disease.
"Thus, consuming soft drinks as a rehydration beverage during exercise in the heat may not be ideal. Further work will need to discern the long-term effects of soft drink consumption during exercise in the heat, and its relation to the risk of [kidney disease]," the researchers said.
