New research in
exercise performance
Explore the evidence on exercise, heat, salt and creatine.
Selected reading · Checked 25 October 2026
Studies ask different questions, in different people and settings. These summaries introduce selected papers, including reviews and small laboratory studies. They do not establish a benefit for Standfast or provide a supplement or salt-loading plan.
This is a dated reading list, not a complete review or a continuously updated feed. Follow each link for the paper, methods, funding and author disclosures.
Recent reading
What was studied.
What still needs answering.
Cooling before exercise: how does sweating change?
Fifteen endurance-trained participants cycled in a hot environment. The study examined sweating after cold-water immersion, including changes in sweat conductivity and the timing of sweating.
Keep in mind: Sweating measurements are not the same as race performance. This was a study of cooling, not of a drink.
Read the exercise and heat study ↗Creatine in endurance and mixed sports
This review maps trials across endurance and mixed sports. Findings were more encouraging for repeated high-intensity efforts and sprint-related tasks; aerobic and recovery results were less consistent.
Keep in mind: Study methods and results varied, and not every improvement exceeded placebo. The review does not support a broad claim that creatine improves all endurance performance.
Read the creatine review ↗Sodium before cycling in the heat
The researchers examined fluid responses to sodium and fluid intake before exercise, at rest and during cycling in the heat, across two menstrual-cycle phases.
Keep in mind: A small, controlled study in trained cyclists and triathletes cannot establish the right intake for every athlete. The protocol should not be copied as a personal dosing plan.
Read the sodium and cycling trial ↗Putting sodium intake in context
This review considers sodium before, during and after exercise. It emphasises the relationship between sodium and fluid intake and losses, rather than replacing salt in isolation.
Keep in mind: Some recommendations rely on limited evidence or modelling. Exercise does not automatically mean that everyone needs more salt every day.
Read the sodium review ↗Research by Dr Iain Parsons
Earlier work exploring adaptation
to exercise and environmental heat.
Echocardiographic changes following active heat acclimation
Heart ultrasound was used before and after five days of exercise in hot or temperate conditions. The study found changes in several measures of heart filling and pumping after heat acclimation.
Keep in mind: This small study examined heat acclimation. It did not test Standfast or demonstrate that a drink produces these adaptations.
Read the heat-acclimation study ↗Heat adaptation in military personnel
A review of the challenges of heat exposure during military work and training, and the evidence on acclimatisation and managing heat-related risk.
Keep in mind: Military tasks and conditions differ from recreational sport. This is background research on adaptation, not product evidence.
Read the heat-adaptation review ↗These papers were authored or co-authored by Dr Iain Parsons, the owner of this Standfast website. Their inclusion reflects his research background; it is not an independent endorsement of the drink.
Useful questions for any paper
- Who took part, and how many people were studied?
- Was there a placebo or comparison group?
- Did the study measure performance, symptoms, or a laboratory marker?
- Does the amount, preparation and setting match the question you are asking?
- What limitations and financial interests do the authors report?
For the wider safety context, see the international exercise-associated hyponatraemia consensus. Salt does not make excessive drinking safe.
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