True Hydration clinical trial: Why water alone isn’t always enough

What does it mean to be hydrated? While water can go a long way towards helping us feel fresh, our busy modern lives often need a little more support to feel truly replenished. That’s where electrolytes come in, providing a top-up of the essential minerals we need to absorb hydration at a cellular level.

But are electrolytes just hype, or do they really work? Discover what electrolytes can do for the body as we put True Hydration to the test in a clinical trial designed to explore the real benefits of electrolytes and their impact on hydration.

From ancient springs to kitchen taps: A brief history of hydration 

Hydration was never just water. It was always water plus minerals. 

Long before electrolyte sachets existed, humans got minerals from natural water sources, which had travelled slowly through soil and rock, absorbing calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium along the way.

Today, tap water has taken over.  Treated and filtered, it’s the safer option, but significantly lower in minerals. 

At the same time, we lead very different lives from our ancestors did, and are exposed to different climates and environments, potentially increasing our need for the essential mineral replenishment that our bodies evolved to expect.   

Why electrolytes matter for modern lives

As nutrition experts, we’re often asked who should take electrolytes. To that, we say, electrolytes aren’t just for fitness enthusiasts. Whether you're exercising in warm weather, enjoying a sauna, breastfeeding, navigating menopause, or have had a hot and sweaty day travelling to and from work, upping your electrolytes could make a meaningful difference.

Every time you sweat, you lose electrolytes. Sodium dominates these losses, typically 300–1,000mg per litre of sweat, although this varies 4–5 fold between individuals based on genetics, acclimatisation, and sweat rate. 

What few of us realise is that you don't have to be visibly drenched to be losing significant amounts of fluid. Sitting in a warm office, long-haul travel, gentle movement like yoga, and even walking in summer, all contributed to low-level sweat loss.

While we may try to drink enough water throughout the day, we don't always consider what else needs replacing. That’s where electrolytes come in, supporting hydration in a way that water alone cannot.

Electrolytes after exercise on test:  Inside the True Hydration clinical trial

True Hydration was formulated with this in mind. A moderate sodium level electrolyte powder, this intelligent blend uses the natural electrolyte content of coconut water to rapidly hydrate from within, reducing fatigue and supporting everyday performance and wellbeing.

But good intentions and careful formulation only get you so far. At Ancient + Brave, we’re committed to clinical research and bringing you wellbeing supplements that work.  So, in 2025, we partnered with researchers at Cardiff Metropolitan University’s School of Sport and Health Science to put our True Hydration electrolyte powder through a rigorous clinical trial.

 A triple-blind, randomised, controlled crossover trial, our electrolyte study put True Hydration head-to-head with coconut water and a flavour-matched placebo to find once and for all whether the type of fluid you drink actually makes a difference to how you recover from genuine physiological stress, heat, sweat loss, or exercise.

The Hydrate study at a glance

+ Design Triple-blind, randomised crossover

+ Participants: healthy adults, recreationally active

+ Protocol: 60 min cycling at 33°C

+ Recovery tracked: 90 minutes post-exercise

+ Drinks compared: True Hydration vs coconut water vs coconut-flavoured water

+ Institution: Cardiff Met University, Wales

Designed to intentionally challenge the body,  participants cycled for an hour in a laboratory heated to 33°C. losing up to 0.7kg of body mass through sweat. While the conditions were intentionally extreme to generate measurable results, they reflect the same physiological stresses we experience in everyday life.

Each participant completed all three conditions on separate days with what we call in nutritional science ‘a washout period’ in between, drinking either True Hydration, coconut water, or coconut-flavoured water (the control), then recovering for 90 minutes with further doses of their assigned drink.

Researchers then assessed the participants for signs of heat and exercise stress, recording their hydration status, grip strength, heart rate, body temperature, jump performance, and white blood cell counts throughout.

Trial results revealed: Water alone isn’t enough

Only True Hydration:

+ Restored body mass to baseline within 90 minutes of recovery. Water did not.

+ True Hydration was the only group with no statistically significant decline in grip strength+ 1.6× WBC rise with True Hydration vs 1.77× with water,  a smaller physiological  stress signal

+ The results of the True Hydration clinical trial show that electrolytes are a powerful tool for going beyond basic hydration to help your body perform at its best.

Let’s dive into these results in more detail 

Fluid loss: All groups lost up to 0.7 kg in body mass through sweat from the heat-exercise protocol. However, True hydration was more effective than water at restoring lost fluid to baseline during the recovery phase.

Grip strength: Handgrip strength is a sign of neuromuscular fatigue. Electrolytes like sodium and potassium support the electrical gradients that drive nerve conduction and muscle contraction. Whereas the coconut water and water groups both experienced a significant decline in grip strength immediately post-exercise (6.1%, p = 0.022 and 5.6%, p = 0.047, respectively), participants taking True Hydration maintained their grip strength.

Cardiovascular effort:

Exercise in heat naturally triggers immune mobilisation, and this was shown in all groups. However, the water group showed the largest increase ( 1.77-fold increase over 90 minutes), while True Hydration showed a smaller response. This shows us that inadequate rehydration places a greater stress on the body, whereas restoring the electrolyte balance with True Hydration helps reduce that stress response. 

This significant electrolyte study has been submitted for peer review, and we'll share the published paper through our Science Hub and other channels as soon as it's available. We're also exploring further research to build on the initial findings.

Closing thoughts: What this means for you

Hydration has always been so much more than water. It's a delicate balance of fluid and mineral replenishment. 

This study shows that water alone may not be enough to properly replenish the body, particularly after strenuous exercise or hot conditions. It also suggests that elevating that water with electrolytes can make a meaningful difference to how the body recovers and performs.

As our study results move on to a scientific peer review, we invite you to put True Hydration through your own tests. Take it as part of your morning ritual or a post-workout recovery window, and see for yourself the difference the simple ritual of real hydration can make to your everyday

References

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