Timing your sips: could scheduled water intake keep football players safer on the field?
NCT ID NCT07710092
First seen Jul 17, 2026 · Last updated Jul 17, 2026
Summary
This study looks at whether drinking water at specific times—before a match and at halftime—helps professional football players maintain healthy electrolyte levels and body weight compared to drinking whenever they want. Twenty-two male players from a Turkish league were randomly assigned to either a scheduled water plan or free drinking. Researchers measured changes in blood sodium, potassium, calcium, and chloride, as well as body weight, before and after a 90-minute game.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- intermittent plain water intake
- What this could lead to
- If this approach proves effective, it could help design better hydration strategies for athletes to maintain performance and reduce injury risk during competition.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 22 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The intervention is simple water intake, so dramatic effects are unlikely.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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22 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jan 2016
- Finished
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Jan 2016
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Male participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Male professional football players. * Actively playing for Anadolu Selçukspor in the Turkish Football Federation 2nd League. * Training at a professional level. * Having no reported health problems. * Voluntary participation in the study. * Providing written informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * Having any health problem that could affect participation in the football match or study measurements. * Having an injury or medical condition preventing participation in exercise. * Refusal to participate or failure to provide written informed consent. * Not completing the match protocol or pre- and post-competition measurements.
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.