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Effects of daily and intermittent exposures on heat acclimation of women

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Abstract

Twelve women, who differed in physical condition and body size, were heat acclimated utilizing either a daily or intermittent (every 3rd day) exposure pattern in an environmental chamber. The women walked for 100 min at 5.2 km/h up a 2.5% grade on a motor-driven treadmill Climatic chamber conditions were 46.5°C Ta, 24.5°C Twb ± 0.5°C. Although individual acclimation varied, significant reduction in heat strain was observed in all subjects, e.g., the ability to complete the assigned task with increasing ease, a decrease in working heart rate, a decrease in rectal temperature rise, a decrease in mean skin temperature, an increase in sweat rate, an increase in evaporative rate, and a decrease in heat storage. The pattern of heat exposures, daily or every third day, had no discernible effect on the rate of heat acclimation. The highly conditioned subjects showed less physiological strain, particularly during the first few heat exposures, and maintained some relative advantage throughout the series of 10 exposures. Body size, in the range studied, appeared to exert little influence on the amount of thermal strain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Noll Laboratory for Human Performance Research, Intercollege Research Programs, The Pennsylvania State University, 16802, University Park, Pa., USA

    E. R. Buskirk

Authors
  1. J. T. Fein
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  2. E. M. Haymes
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  3. E. R. Buskirk
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Additional information

This work was partially supported by Grant AM 08311 from the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases, and by Grant GMO 1748 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

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Fein, J.T., Haymes, E.M. & Buskirk, E.R. Effects of daily and intermittent exposures on heat acclimation of women. Int J Biometeorol 19, 41–52 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01459840

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01459840

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