Glycerol
Endogenous three-carbon polyol and triglyceride backbone that acts as an osmolyte when consumed with a large fluid volume. Human oral pharmacokinetics are rapid and nonlinear, with a terminal half-life near one hour after 1.2 g/kg. Glycerol can improve short-term fluid retention, but performance benefits are inconsistent and the retained fluid adds body mass. Product forms are not interchangeable: glycerol monostearate is not pure glycerol.
Projected serum levels — 70k mg, once daily
Maintenance schedule: 70k mg once daily (oral).
Modeled steady state after ~1 days: peak ≈ 26.7k mg, trough ≈ 0.009 mg body load. Population-based estimate over 15 days for a 70k mg dose at a 70 kg reference body mass — the interactive app scales curves to your doses, timing, and body mass.
Key facts
- Category
- Hydration
- Route modeled
- Oral
- Model confidence
- inferred
- Half-life
- 54 min
- Common dose
- 70k mg
- Suggested maximum
- 84k mg/day
- Reference dose range
- 8.8k–84k mg (single dose)
- Suggested cadence
- once daily
- Validated against
- 84k mg oral — Cmax 1.8k mg/L at 1.5 h
Research behind this entry
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Pharmacokinetics of glycerol administered orally in healthy volunteers
Ten fasted adults received 1.2 g/kg oral glycerol. Median Cmax was 1,770 mg/L at one to two hours, terminal half-life ranged 0.61-1.18 hours, and osmolality rose by at least 10 mOsm/kg in every participant. The authors…
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Guidelines for glycerol use in hyperhydration and rehydration associated with exercise
Review of exercise-hydration studies proposed 1.2 g/kg with 26 mL/kg fluid for pre-exercise hyperhydration and reported that body-water gains of at least one liter were achievable. It also notes sparse rehydration…
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Glycerol - biochemistry, pharmacokinetics and clinical and practical applications
Narrative review describes endogenous glycerol metabolism and the osmolality increase at doses above 1 g/kg. It reports short-term fluid retention up to about 700 mL and possible heat-exercise benefits, while…
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The effect of glycerol supplements on aerobic and anaerobic performance of athletes and sedentary subjects
Forty volunteers were split into sedentary and exercising groups, then received water or glycerol plus water for 20 days. Several aerobic, anaerobic, distance, and time outcomes increased in glycerol groups, but the…
5 published studies referenced in the app, each with a plain-language summary.