Humid heat stress affects trained female athletes more than does their menstrual phase

Lei, Tze‐Huan; Mündel, Toby

doi:10.1080/23328940.2018.1436394

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 5 publications

(8 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Given elevations in T CORE during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, and subsequent shifts in vascular and sudomotor heat loss pathways during this time [169,170], as already outlined by others [171], it has been proposed that in spite of similar absolute changes in T CORE when performing in the heat during the luteal phase, females face a greater performance detriment. This detriment resulting from a higher baseline at this stage of their menstrual cycle in comparison to the follicular phase.…”

Section: Do Females Adapt At the Same Rate As Males?mentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Part of this planning should acknowledge HA can be implemented as a microcycle around training in the weeks and months leading up to competition. Whilst previously it has been recommended that HA should be performed immediately prior to competition, physiological adaptations to HA are induced potentially alongside a molecular memory, with researchers speculating that a more rapid reinduction occurs as a result of this [28,159,160], this concept has yet to be effectively examined mechanistically in humans/athletes. Based upon this understanding, we and others support the notion of undertaking dedicated HA microcyles periodically in the lead up to competition [16].…”

Section: Passive Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…the time of day of HA, environmental conditions for HA, male vs. female differences to HA and, structuring HA around training. The authors direct the researchorientated reader to a number of excellent review articles and meta-analyses that consider specific elements of heat adaptation and/or thermoregulatory function from a mechanistic viewpoint [14,16,[24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Heat alleviation strategies for athletic performance: A review and practitioner guidelines

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

International competition inevitably presents logistical challenges for athletes. Events such as the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games require further consideration given historical climate data suggest athletes will experience significant heat stress. Given the expected climate, athletes face major challenges to health and performance. With this in mind, heat alleviation strategies should be a fundamental consideration. This review provides a focused perspective of the relevant literature describing how practitioners can structure male and female athlete preparations for performance in hot, humid conditions. Whilst scientific literature commonly describes experimental work, with a primary focus on maximizing magnitudes of adaptive responses, this may sacrifice ecological validity, particularly for athletes whom must balance logistical considerations aligned with integrating environmental preparation around training, tapering and travel plans. Additionally, opportunities for sophisticated interventions may not be possible in the constrained environment of the athlete village or event arenas. This review therefore takes knowledge gained from robust experimental work, interprets it and provides direction on how practitioners/coaches can optimize their athletes' heat alleviation strategies. This review identifies two distinct heat alleviation themes that should be considered to form an individualized strategy for the athlete to enhance thermoregulatory/performance physiology. First, chronic heat alleviation techniques are outlined, these describe interventions such as heat acclimation, which are implemented pre, during and posttraining to prepare for the increased heat stress. Second, acute heat alleviation techniques that are implemented immediately prior to, and sometimes during the event are discussed.

show abstract

Section: Do Females Adapt At the Same Rate As Males?mentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Passive Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Heat alleviation strategies for athletic performance: A review and practitioner guidelines

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Another example is the menstrual cycle: during the luteal phase regional sweating rate is lower at a given body core temperature (increased threshold and decreased slope) [122][123][124][125], but there are no differences in whole-body sweating rate across the menstrual cycle phases [123,[126][127][128][129]. Additionally, for trained females their menstrual phase is of little physiological or performance consequence during exercise in the heat [103,130].…”

Section: Chronicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physiology of sweat gland function: The roles of sweating and sweat composition in human health

2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The purpose of this comprehensive review is to: 1) review the physiology of sweat gland function and mechanisms determining the amount and composition of sweat excreted onto the skin surface; 2) provide an overview of the well-established thermoregulatory functions and adaptive responses of the sweat gland; and 3) discuss the state of evidence for potential non-thermoregulatory roles of sweat in the maintenance and/or perturbation of human health. The role of sweating to eliminate waste products and toxicants seems to be minor compared with other avenues of excretion via the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract; as eccrine glands do not adapt to increase excretion rates either via concentrating sweat or increasing overall sweating rate. Studies suggesting a larger role of sweat glands in clearing waste products or toxicants from the body may be an artifact of methodological issues rather than evidence for selective transport. Furthermore, unlike the renal system, it seems that sweat glands do not conserve water loss or concentrate sweat fluid through vasopressin-mediated water reabsorption. Individuals with high NaCl concentrations in sweat (e.g. cystic fibrosis) have an increased risk of NaCl imbalances during prolonged periods of heavy sweating; however, sweat-induced deficiencies appear to be of minimal risk for trace minerals and vitamins. Additional research is needed to elucidate the potential role of eccrine sweating in skin hydration and microbial defense. Finally, the utility of sweat composition as a biomarker for human physiology is currently limited; as more research is needed to determine potential relations between sweat and blood solute concentrations.

show abstract

“…However, research is limited and recent evidence has been contradictory. It has demonstrated little effect of the menstrual cycle (Sunderland and Nevill, 2003), oral contraceptive pill (OCP) usage (Lei et al, 2017) and in trained females who have smaller fluctuations in hormonal response (Lei and Mundel, 2018). However, the possible attenuation of endurance performance during heat stress has been reported (Avellini et al, 1979; Tenaglia et al, 1999; Constantini et al, 2005; Janse de Jonge et al, 2012) but this is not a universal finding (Kolka and Stephenson, 1997; Sunderland and Nevill, 2003; Lei et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effectiveness of Short-Term Heat Acclimation on Intermittent Sprint Performance With Moderately Trained Females Controlling for Menstrual Cycle Phase

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

IntroductionInvestigate the effectiveness of short-term heat acclimation (STHA), over 5-days (permissive dehydration), on an intermittent sprint exercise protocol (HST) with females. Controlling for menstrual cycle phase.Materials and MethodsTen, moderately trained, females (Mean [SD]; age 22.6 [2.7] y; stature 165.3 [6.2] cm; body mass 61.5 [8.7] kg; V.⁢O2⁢peak 43.9 [8.6] mL⋅kg–1⋅min–1) participated. The HST (31.0°C; 50%RH) was 9 × 5 min (45-min) of intermittent exercise, based on exercise intensities of female soccer players, using a motorized treadmill and Wattbike. Participants completed HST1 vs. HST2 as a control (C) trial. Followed by 90 min, STHA (no fluid intake), for five consecutive days in 39.5°C; 60%RH, using controlled-hyperthermia (∼rectal temperature [Tre] 38.5°C). The HST3 occurred within 1 week after STHA. The HST2 vs HST3 trials were in the luteal phase, using self-reported menstrual questionnaire and plasma 17β-estradiol.ResultsPre (HST2) vs post (HST3) STHA there was a reduction at 45-min in Tre by 0.20°C (95%CI −0.30 to −0.10°C; d = 0.77); T¯s⁢k (−0.50; −0.90 to −0.10°C; d = 0.80); and T¯b (−0.25; −0.35 to −0.15°C; d = 0.92). Cardiac frequency reduced at 45-min (−8; −16 to −1 b⋅min–1; d = 1.11) and %PV increased (7.0; −0.4 to 14.5%: d = 1.27). Mean power output increased across all nine maximal sprints by 56W (−26 to 139W; d = 0.69; n = 9). There was limited difference (P > 0.05) for these measures in HST1 vs HST2 C trial.DiscussionShort-term heat acclimation (5-days) using controlled-hyperthermia, leads to physiological adaptation during intermittent exercise in the heat, in moderately trained females when controlling for menstrual cycle phase.

show abstract

Humid heat stress affects trained female athletes more than does their menstrual phase

Cited by 5 publications

References 5 publications

Heat alleviation strategies for athletic performance: A review and practitioner guidelines

Heat alleviation strategies for athletic performance: A review and practitioner guidelines

Physiology of sweat gland function: The roles of sweating and sweat composition in human health

Effectiveness of Short-Term Heat Acclimation on Intermittent Sprint Performance With Moderately Trained Females Controlling for Menstrual Cycle Phase

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About