It took the diagnosis of high blood pressure (hypertension) at the age of 45 to shock Max into taking better care of himself. A former college football player, he had since stopped exercising and started eating junk food, drinking heavily, and smoking. Max's physician had to prescribe two different antihypertensive medications in order to get his blood pressure under control. She also prescribed regular exercise, a low-salt diet, modest alcohol intake, and smoking cessation. Max had a family history of hypertension; his father had developed it at a young age as well, and ended up on dialysis before dying from complications of kidney failure.
Max took his doctor's advice and began a dramatic lifestyle change. Ten years later at the age of 55, he was competing in triathlons. To gain an edge, he hired Tracey, a clinical exercise specialist. His most immediate concern was that he was experiencing problems with dehydration and fatigue during his races because he hadn't found an effective way to drink enough fluids while exercising.
Tracey explained that Max's hydration status was complicated due to the medication he took to control his hypertension, and that renal status (as measured by urinalysis) was one of the tools she could use to evaluate his physiological state.
Tracey logged the following results of Max's urinalysis before, immediately after, and six hours after a rigorous 2-hour run.
Time Color Specific Gravity Protein Glucose pH
Before exercise pale yellow 1.002 absent absent 6.0
Immediately after exercise dark yellow 1.035 small amount absent 4.5
Six hours after exercise yellow 1.025 absent small amount 5.0