This project aimed to quantify the regional distribution of sweat composition over the skin surface and to determine whether sweat constituent concentrations collected from regional sites can estimate whole-body concentrations. Ten males cycled for 90 min in a 20 degrees C (50% relative humidity) environment at 45% peak aerobic power. Sweat was collected from eleven skin regions and the whole body, using a wash-down technique. Strong relationships were evident between the regional and whole-body sweat [Na+] and [Cl-], such that the thigh and calf exhibited greater correlation coefficients than area-weighted means derived from four and eight skin regions. Therefore, in this particular protocol the whole-body sweat [Na+] and [Cl-] could be predicted from regional sweat collections. Relationships between sweat constituents were evident for sweat [Na+] and pH, and sweat [K+] and [lactate] when data were pooled between skin regions and subjects. To our knowledge this is the first investigation to report a positive relationship between sweat [K+] and [lactate]. The exact mechanism responsible for the positive relationship between sweat [K+] and [lactate] is uncertain although it is speculated to occur at the secretory coil.

A rethinking of current heat-acclimation strategies is required as most research and advice for improving physiological strain in the heat includes maintaining hydration using long-term acclimation protocols (>10 days). Furthermore, these strategies have tended to use untrained and moderately trained participants. Therefore, the aims of this review were to (i) investigate the effectiveness of short-term heat acclimation (STHA) with moderately and highly trained athletes; (ii) determine the importance of fluid regulatory strain, which has a thermally independent role in heat adaptation; (iii) assess the impact of STHA on a marker of thermotolerance (inducible heat-shock protein 70 [HSP70]); and (iv) provide further information on the decay of acclimation to heat. The review suggests that 5-day STHA is effective, and adaptations may be more pronounced after fluid regulatory strain from a dehydration-acclimation regimen. Furthermore, highly trained athletes may have similar physiological gains to those who are less trained using STHA. However, research has tended to focus on untrained or moderately trained participants and more information is required for highly trained populations. HSP70 response is upregulated across STHA. This indicates increased thermotolerance and protective adaptive change that may indicate HSP70 response as a useful marker of heat acclimation. Physiological adaptations after heat acclimation are relatively short term and may vanish only a few days or weeks after removal from heat exposure. From a practical perspective 5-day STHA may be the preferred acclimation regimen for moderately and highly trained athletes as it has been shown to be effective, less expensive and less likely to disrupt the tapering for competition in elite performers. Furthermore, updated information on the time course of acclimation decay may allow a reliable estimate of how long individuals can be free from heat exposure before reacclimation is required. This is particularly pertinent in present times as many athletes, civilians and military personnel increasingly have to relocate to different climates of the world, often within a short period of time.

This project aimed to quantify the regional distribution of sweat composition over the skin surface and to determine whether sweat constituent concentrations collected from regional sites can estimate whole-body concentrations. Ten males cycled for 90 min in a 20°C (50% relative humidity) environment at 45% peak aerobic power. Sweat was collected from eleven skin regions and the whole body, using a wash-down technique. Strong relationships were evident between the regional and whole-body sweat [Na¤] and [Cl¦], such that the thigh and calf exhibited greater correlation coefficients than area-weighted means derived from four and eight skin regions. Therefore, in this particular protocol the whole-body sweat [Na¤] and [Cl¦] could be predicted from regional sweat collections. Relationships between sweat constituents were evident for sweat [Na¤] and pH, and sweat [K¤] and [lactate] when data were pooled between skin regions and subjects. To our knowledge this is the first investigation to report a positive relationship between sweat [K¤] and [lactate]. The exact mechanism responsible for the positive relationship between sweat [K¤] and [lactate] is uncertain although it is speculated to occur at the secretory coil.

Short-term (5-day) heat acclimation induced effective adaptations, some of which were more pronounced after fluid-regulatory strain from permissive dehydration, and not attributable to dehydration effects on body temperature.

We tested the hypothesis that local sweat rates would not display a systematic postadaptation redistribution toward the limbs after humid heat acclimation. Eleven nonadapted males were acclimated over 3 wk (16 exposures), cycling 90 min/day, 6 days/wk (40°C, 60% relative humidity), using the controlled-hyperthermia acclimation technique, in which work rate was modified to achieve and maintain a target core temperature (38.5°C). Local sudomotor adaptation (forehead, chest, scapula, forearm, thigh) and onset thresholds were studied during constant work intensity heat stress tests (39.8°C, 59.2% relative humidity) conducted on days 1, 8, and 22 of acclimation. The mean body temperature (T b) at which sweating commenced (threshold) was reduced on days 8 and 22 (P Ͻ 0.05), and these displacements paralleled the resting thermoneutral T b shift, such that the T b change to elicit sweating remained constant from days 1 to 22. Whole body sweat rate increased significantly from 0.87 Ϯ 0.06 l/h on day 1 to 1.09 Ϯ 0.08 and 1.16 Ϯ 0.11 l/h on days 8 and 22, respectively. However, not all skin regions exhibited equivalent relative sweat rate elevations from day 1 to day 22. The relative increase in forearm sweat rate (117 Ϯ 31%) exceeded that at the forehead (47 Ϯ 18%; P Ͻ 0.05) and thigh (42 Ϯ 16%; P Ͻ 0.05), while the chest sweat rate elevation (106 Ϯ 29%) also exceeded the thigh (P Ͻ 0.05). Two unique postacclimation observations arose from this project. First, reduced sweat thresholds appeared to be primarily related to a lower resting T b, and more dependent on T b change. Second, our data did not support the hypothesis of a generalized and preferential trunk-to-limb sweat redistribution after heat acclimation.body core temperature; sweating; sweat threshold THE PRINCIPAL AVENUE for heat dissipation in hot environments is via evaporative cooling, with sudomotor enhancement accompanying endurance training and heat adaptation. The latter can elicit a reduced core temperature (T c ) threshold for sweating onset (6,8,24,37), a greater sensitivity to changes in T c (13,32,40), an elevated steady-state expulsion rate (24-26, 37), eccrine gland hypertrophy (33), and an apparent redistribution of sweating toward the limbs (15, 31, 37), representing our potentially most potent adaptive responses to chronic heat stress. In this paper, we focus on sudomotor threshold and local sweat rate (ṁ sw ) changes accompanying humid heat acclimation.Höfler (15) and Shvartz et al. (37) first reported heat acclimation induced a peripheral redistribution of sweating, such that postacclimation limb ṁ sw appeared to be elevated more than at central body sites. This apparent peripheral shift in secretion could facilitate greater heat dissipation, if lower preacclimation limb ṁ sw (5, 12, 19) was also associated with less than optimal local evaporation rates. Because limbs have a relatively large surface area:mass ratio, an elevation in sweating and evaporation could enhance thermal homeostasis. However, while data from Höfler (15) First, these obs...

Abstract:Most advice for heat adaptation is to use long-term (>10 d) regimes, in which hydration status is maintained. We tested the hypothesis that short-term (5-day) heat acclimation would confer substantial improvements in physiological strain and exercise tolerance for exercise in the heat, and fluid regulatory strain provides a thermally-independent stimulus for such adaptations. Ten moderately-fit males were heat acclimated using controlled hyperthermia (rectal temperature 38.5°C) for 90 min on five consecutive days (T a = 40°C, 60% RH), on two occasions separated by a five-week washout, in a randomly assigned, cross-over design; one with euhydration (EUH) and one with dehydration (DEH) during acclimation bouts. One week before, then on the 2 nd day after each acclimation regime, a heat stress test (HST) was completed, comprising cycling at 40% peak power output for 90 min (T a = 35°C, 60% RH), before incrementing to exhaustion. Plasma volume (PV) at rest was measured using CO rebreathing. Acclimation exercise-induced response of[aldo] p became more pronounced across DEH (  178 pg . mL -1 ; 95%CI: 33 to 324) but not EUH (  -47 pg . mL -1 : -209 to 115) and this difference was significant (P=0.02).Compared to EUH, permissive DEH during acclimation bouts conferred larger acclimation-induced increases in resting PV (4.1%: -1.5 to 9.8%; P=0.06), F Q  (4.2: 0.7 to 7.8 ml . min -1. 100 ml -1 ; P=0.009), FVC (0.06: 0.02 to 0.10 ml . 100ml Tissue -1. min -1. mmHg -1 ; P=0.006) and decreased end-exercise c f by 17% (19: -29 to 9 b·min-1; P=0.05). In conclusion, short-term (5-day) heat acclimation was effective with several adaptations more pronounced after fluid-regulatory strain from a dehydration acclimation regime.

Effectiveness of short-term acclimation has generally been undertaken using untrained and moderately-trained participants. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of short-term (5-day) heat acclimation on highly trained athletes. Eight males (mean ± SD age 21.8 ± 2.1 years, mass 75.2 ± 4.6 kg, VO(2peak) 4.9 ± 0.2 L min(-1) and power output 400 ± 27 W) were heat acclimated under controlled hyperthermia (rectal temperature 38.5 °C), for 90-min on five consecutive days (T(a) = 39.5 °C, 60% relative humidity). Acclimation was undertaken with dehydration (no fluid-intake) during daily bouts. Participants completed a rowing-specific, heat stress test (HST) 1 day before and after acclimation (T(a) = 35 °C, 60% relative humidity). HST consisted 10-min rowing at 30% peak power output (PPO), 10 min at 60% PPO and 5-min rest before a 2-km performance test, without feedback cues. Participants received 250 mL fluid (4% carbohydrate; osmolality 240-270 mmol kg(-1)) before the HST. Body mass loss during acclimation bouts was 1.6 ± 0.3 kg (2.1%) on day 1 and 2.3 ± 0.4 kg (3.0%) on day 5. In contrast, resting plasma volume increased by 4.5 ± 4.5% from day 1 to 5 (estimated from [Hb] & Hct). Plasma aldosterone increased at rest (52.6 pg mL(-1); p = 0.03) and end-exercise (162.4 pg mL(-1); p = 0.00) from day 1 to 5 acclimation. During the HST T(re) and f(c) were lowered 0.3 °C (p = 0.00) and 14 b min(-1) (p = 0.00) after 20-min exercise. The 2-km performance time (6.52.7 min) improved by 4 s (p = 0.00). Meaningful physiological and performance improvements occurred for highly trained athletes using a short-term (5-day) heat acclimation under hyperthermia control, with dehydration.

Acute exercise-heat stress without fluid replacement resulted in a greater sweat [Na+] and [Cl-] which was potentially related to greater extracellular fluid [Na+], plasma aldosterone or sympathetic nervous activity.