True Hydrate Clinical Trial: Why Water Alone Isn’t Always Enough
7 Min read
What does it mean to be hydrated?
While water can go a long way toward helping us feel refreshed, our busy modern lives often require a little more support to feel truly replenished. That’s where electrolytes come in, providing a top-up of the essential minerals our bodies need to support 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 Hydrate 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 Faucets: A Brief History of Hydration
Hydration was never just water. It was always water plus minerals.
Long before electrolyte packets existed, humans obtained minerals from natural water sources. As water traveled slowly through soil and rock, it absorbed calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium along the way.
Today, tap water has taken over. Treated and filtered water is a safer option, but it can also be significantly lower in minerals.
At the same time, we lead very different lives from our ancestors and are exposed to different climates and environments, potentially increasing our need to replenish the essential minerals our bodies evolved to expect.
Why Electrolytes Matter for Modern Life
As nutrition experts, we’re often asked who should take electrolytes. Our answer is that electrolytes aren’t just for fitness enthusiasts. Whether you’re exercising in warm weather, enjoying a sauna, breastfeeding, navigating menopause, or simply having a hot and sweaty day traveling to and from work, increasing your electrolyte intake could make a meaningful difference.
Every time you sweat, you lose electrolytes. Sodium accounts for most of these losses, typically ranging from 300–1,000 mg per liter of sweat. However, this can vary four- to fivefold between individuals based on genetics, acclimatization, and sweat rate.
What few of us realize is that you don’t have to be visibly drenched to lose significant amounts of fluid. Sitting in a warm office, taking a long-haul flight, practicing gentle movement like yoga, and even walking in the summer can all contribute to low-level sweat loss.
While we may try to drink enough water throughout the day, we don’t always consider what else needs to be replaced. That’s where electrolytes come in, supporting hydration in a way that water alone cannot.
Putting Electrolytes to the Test: Inside the True Hydrate Clinical Trial
True Hydrate was formulated with this in mind. This moderate-sodium electrolyte powder uses the natural electrolyte content of coconut water to rapidly hydrate from within, reduce fatigue, and support everyday performance and well-being.
But good intentions and careful formulation only go so far. At Ancient + Brave, we’re committed to clinical research and creating well-being supplements that work. In 2025, we partnered with researchers at Cardiff Metropolitan University’s School of Sport and Health Sciences to put our True Hydrate electrolyte powder through a rigorous clinical trial.
This triple-blind, randomized, controlled crossover trial compared True Hydrate with coconut water and a flavor-matched placebo. The aim was to determine whether the type of fluid consumed makes a difference in how the body recovers from genuine physiological stress, heat, sweat loss, and exercise.
The True Hydrate Study at a Glance
+ Design: Triple-blind, randomized crossover trial
+ Participants: Healthy, recreationally active adults
+ Protocol: 60 minutes of cycling at 33°C
+ Recovery tracked: 90 minutes post-exercise
+ Drinks compared: True Hydrate, coconut water, and coconut-flavored water
+
Institution: Cardiff Metropolitan University, Wales
The study was designed to intentionally challenge the body. Participants cycled for one hour in a laboratory heated to 33°C, losing up to 0.7 kg of body mass through sweat. While these conditions were intentionally extreme to generate measurable results, they reflect many of the same physiological stressors we experience in everyday life.
Each participant completed all three conditions on separate days, with what nutritional scientists call a “washout period” between sessions. Participants drank either True Hydrate, coconut water, or coconut-flavored water as the control, then recovered for 90 minutes while consuming additional servings of their assigned drink.
Researchers assessed participants for signs of heat and exercise stress, recording hydration status, grip strength, heart rate, body temperature, jump performance, and white blood cell counts throughout the study.
Trial Results Revealed: Water Alone Isn’t Always Enough
Only True Hydrate:
+ Restored body mass to baseline within 90 minutes of recovery. Water did not.
+ Resulted in no statistically significant decline in grip strength.
+ Produced a 1.6× rise in white blood cells compared with a 1.77× rise with water, indicating a smaller physiological stress signal
|
Plain Water |
High-Sodium Electrolyte Mixes |
Ancient + Brave True Hydrate |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Sodium per serving |
None |
Often extreme up to ~1,000 mg per serving |
260 mg per 6 g serving — a moderate, daily-appropriate dose. |
|
Potassium |
None |
Moderate (≈200 mg) |
Naturally present from coconut water powder, plus tripotassium citrate. |
|
Magnesium |
None |
Often included (≈60 mg), but the form varies |
Magnesium citrate — a well-tolerated, bioavailable form. |
|
Additional co-factors |
None |
Rare |
Calcium malate and chromium picolinate. Chromium contributes to normal macronutrient metabolism and the maintenance of normal blood glucose levels (EU-authorized claim). |
|
Flavorings |
None |
Stevia, sucralose or other sweeteners; "natural flavours" are common. |
None added. Flavor comes from real coconut water powder, no "natural flavors", no artificial sweeteners, no synthetic additives. |
|
Prebiotic fiber |
None |
None |
Chicory root inulin — a prebiotic fiber that supports the gut microbiome alongside hydration. |
|
Best suited to |
Routine fluid needs in temperate conditions and light activity. |
Endurance athletes experience prolonged heat exposure, very heavy sweat losses, and low-carbohydrate or ketogenic protocols. |
Daily hydration support mornings, fasting windows, moderate activity, warm weather, travel and recovery days. |
Let’s dive into these results in more detail
Fluid Loss:
All groups lost up to 0.7 kg of body mass through sweat during the heat and exercise protocol. However, True Hydrate was more effective than water at restoring lost body mass to baseline during the recovery phase.
Grip Strength:
Handgrip strength is one indicator of neuromuscular fatigue. Electrolytes such as sodium and potassium support the electrical gradients involved in nerve conduction and muscle contraction.
While the coconut water and water groups both experienced a significant decline in grip strength immediately after exercise, at 6.1% (p = 0.022) and 5.6% (p = 0.047), respectively, participants taking True Hydrate maintained their grip strength.
Physiological Stress Response
Exercise in the heat naturally triggers immune mobilization, which was observed across all groups. However, the water group showed the largest increase in white blood cells, with a 1.77-fold rise over 90 minutes, while the True Hydrate group showed a smaller response.
These findings suggest that inadequate rehydration may place greater stress on the body, while restoring electrolyte balance with True Hydrate may help reduce this physiological stress response.
This significant electrolyte study has been submitted for peer review. We’ll share the published paper through our Science Hub and other channels as soon as it becomes available. We’re also exploring further research to build on these initial findings.
Closing Thoughts: What This Means for You
Hydration has always been about more than water. It requires a delicate balance of fluid and mineral replenishment.
This study shows that water alone may not be enough to fully replenish the body, particularly after strenuous exercise or exposure to hot conditions. It also suggests that adding electrolytes to water can make a meaningful difference in how the body recovers and performs.
As our study moves through scientific peer review, we invite you to put True Hydrate to your own test. Take it as part of your morning ritual or during your post-workout recovery window, and see for yourself what the simple ritual of more complete hydration can bring to your day.
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