Some observations on the effects of heat,exercise and hypohydration upon involuntary hypohydration in man

Four male subjects at a high level of physical fitness were put on a controlled diet 4 days prior to a 4-hr exposure in a hot room(49°C) in separate experiments at rest or with exercise on a treadmill and free or no access to drinking water.The experiments were repeated at 24°C.Each experiment was followed by a recovery period of 8 hr. The water intake during the heat exposure was roughly proportional to the work load. The rate of water consumption during the recovery period was independent of the level of hypohydration. Previously hypohydrated men took longer to regain their water debt than previously hydrated men.

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Zusammenfassung Vier gut tränierte Personen wurden nach 4 Tagen Ernährung mit einer Kontrolldiät 4 Stunden in einer Klimakammer bei 49°C in Ruhe oder mit Belastung (Laufband)mit oder ohne Wasser zum Trinken exponiert.Die Werte wurden verglichen mit dem Verhalten der gleichen Personen bei 24°C. Den Exponierungsversuchen folgte eine Erholungsperiode von 8 Stunden bei 24°C. Die Wasserbedarf während der Hitzeexponierung war ungefähr proportional der körperlichen Leistung. Die Geschwindigkeit der Wasseraufnahme in der Erholungsphase war unabhängig von den Ausmass der Hypohydration. Die Auffüllung der Wasserschuld dauerte mehrere Stunden. Unabhängig von der Ausmass der Wasserschuld stieg die Wasseraufnahme während der Mahlzeiten an.

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Resume Après avoir été mis durant 4 jours à une diète contrôlée, 4 personnes bien entraînées ont été placées dans une chambre climatisée. Ces personnes y restèrent durant 4 hr par 49°C avec ous sans eau à boire, soit au repos,soit en effectuant un effort (roue). On a alors comparé les résultats obtenus à ceux des mêmes personnes soumises aux mêmes épreuves, mais par 24°C. Les expositions au chaud furent suivies de périodes de repos de 8 hr par 24°C. Les besoins en eau furent, lors des essais, environ proportionnels à l'effort fourni. La rapidité avec laquelle l'eau fut absorbée pendant la phase de récupération fut indépendante du degré de déshydratation. La compensation du déficit hydrique dura plusieurs heures. Indépendemment de l'importance du déficit hydrique, on a constaté une augmentation de la consommation en eau durant les repas.

     

Gastric emptying during exercise: effects of heat stress and hypohydration

To determine the effects of acute heat stress, heat acclimation and hypohydration on the gastric emptying rate of water (W) during treadmill exercise, ten physically fit men ingested 400 ml of W before each of three 15 min bouts of exercise (treadmill, approximately 50% VO2max) on five separate occasions. Stomach contents were aspirated after each exercise bout. Before heat acclimation (ACC), experiments were performed in a neutral (18 degrees C), hot (49 degrees C) and warm (35 degrees C) environment. Subjects were euhydrated for all experiments before ACC. After ACC, the subjects completed two more experiments in the warm (35 degrees C) environment; one while euhydrated and a final one while hypohydrated (-5% of body weight). The volume of ingested water emptied into the intestines at the completion of each exercise bout was inversely correlated (P less than 0.01) with the rectal temperature (r = -0.76). The following new observations were made: 1) exercise in a hot (49 degrees C) environment impairs gastric emptying rate as compared with a neutral (18 degrees C) environment, 2) exercise in a warm (35 degrees C) environment does not significantly reduce gastric emptying before or after heat acclimation, but 3) exercise in a warm environment (35 degrees C) when hypohydrated reduces gastric emptying rate and stomach secretions. Reductions in gastric emptying appear to be related to the severity of the thermal strain induced by an exercise/heat stress.     

Thermoregulatory and nonthermoregulatory heat production in burned rat

Severely burned patients are hypermetabolic within their thermoneutral zone (TNZ), where there are no thermoregulatory demands on heat production. The rat has been used as a model of postburn hypermetabolism without clear evidence that it behaves in a similar way. Male rats (400-500 g; n = 34-39) were placed as a group in a respiration chamber and metabolic rates for the average rat were determined over 3-6 h at ambient temperatures between 9 and 36 degrees C. Colonic temperatures (Tco) and body weights were measured after each run. Animals were studied sequentially as normals (N), after clipping (C) and following 50% total body surface scald burns. Clipping increased the lower critical temperature (LCT) from 27.7 to 29.1 degrees C without affecting resting heat production (N = 42.6 +/- 0.5; C = 42.0 +/- 0.8 W/m2; mean +/- S.E.) or Tco (N = 36.6 +/- 0.1; C = 36.6 +/- 0.1 degrees C) in the TNZ. Injury increased LCT to 32.8 degrees C and the burned animals were hypermetabolic (47.2 +/- 0.6 W/m2; P less than 0.05 vs. N) and febrile (36.9 +/- 0.1 degrees C; P less than 0.05 vs. N) in the elevated TNZ. These metabolic and temperature responses of burned rats are limited in magnitude but are qualitatively similar to those of patients. The extra heat production in the TNZ reflects the basic metabolic cost of injury.     

Metabolic effects of repeated short-term exposures to heat in the rat

Repeated daily exposures of rats to a hot ambient temperature (40-41 degrees C) for 20 days induced activation of the oxidative enzymes in the thigh muscle and of lactate dehydrogenase in the myocardium. Heat-stressed rats also showed increased tolerance to cold. These changes, it is suggested, are caused by the increased sympathetic activity bouts associated with the heat stresses. The interscapular brown adipose tissue, however, showed adaptive changes similar to those induced by warm acclimation. The activity of oxidative enzymes was decreased and the fat droplets became large and unilocular.     

Hypohydration and exercise: effects of heat acclimation, gender, and environment

This study examined the effects of heat acclimation and subject gender on treadmill exercise in comfortable (20 degrees C, 40% rh), hot-dry (49 degrees C, 20% rh), and hot-wet (35 degrees C, 79% rh) environments while subjects were hypo- or euhydrated. Six male and six female subjects, matched for maximal aerobic power and percent body fat, completed two exercise tests in each environment both before and after a 10-day heat acclimation program. One exercise test was completed during euhydration and one during hypohydration (-5.0% from baseline body weight). In general, no significant (P greater than 0.05) differences were noted between men and women at the completion of exercise for rectal temperature (Tre), mean skin temperature (Tsk), or heat rate (HR) during any of the experimental conditions. Hypohydration generally increased Tre and HR values and decreased sweat rate values while not altering Tsk values. In the hypohydration experiments, heat acclimation significantly reduced Tre (0.19 degrees C) and HR (13 beats X min-1) values in the comfortable environment, but only HR values were reduced in hot-dry (21 beats X min-1) and hot-wet (21 beats X min-1) environments. The present findings indicated that men and women respond in a physiologically similar manner to hypohydration during exercise. They also indicated that for hypohydrated subjects heat acclimation decreased thermoregulatory and cardiovascular strain in a comfortable environment, but only cardiovascular strain decreased in hot environments.     

Thermoregulatory responses to acute heat loads in the FOK rat

FOK is an inbred rat strain with a genotypic adaptation to hot environments. The present study investigated the mechanism of the high heat tolerance of the FOK rat. Male FOK and WKAH rats were used. They were loosely restrained and placed individually in a direct calorimeter with an ambient temperature of 24°C. Their hypothalamic temperature, evaporative and nonevaporative heat loss and heat production were measured. After thermal equilibrium had been attained, the rats were warmed for 30 min with a chronically implanted intraperitoneal electric heater(internal heating). At least 90 min after the heating, the jacket water temperature surrounding the calorimeter chamber was gradually raised from 24°C to 36°C in 80 min (external warming). During the internal heating, changes in the thermoregulatory parameters did not differ between the groups. During the external warming, the evaporative heat loss of the FOK rat was significantly greater than that of the WKAH rat, while changes in nonevaporative heat loss and heat production did not differ between the groups. The results suggest that in the FOK rat, the improved heat tolerance is attributable to an enhanced evaporative heat loss response, but not to a facilitation of nonevaporative heat loss or of metabolic depression. Received: 8 March 1999 / Accepted: 14 July 1999     

Differential effects of sauna-, diuretic-, and exercise-induced hypohydration

The physiological effects on submaximal and maximal exercise of three methods commonly used by athletes for achieving rapid weight loss were determined by measuring cardiorespiratory variables in 62 nonendurance athletes. A mean weight loss of 4.1% was achieved by those who followed either a sauna (SAU), diuretic (DIU), or exercise (ACT) protocol, compared with the average weight loss of 1.2% in the control group. At maximal exercise O2 consumption, O2 pulse, blood lactate concentration, and work load decreased in SAU and DIU groups relative to the ACT group, whereas only a few differences were observed at the aerobic threshold. Weight loss achieved over a 48-h period was less detrimental to an athlete than was a more rapid (24-h) weight reduction achieved through sauna bathing or the use of diuretics. We conclude that not only the quantity of weight loss but also the method itself may limit physical performance.     

Thermoregulatory and endocrine effects of a low dose of danazol in postmenopausal women: interaction with the effect of naloxone

Before and on the 30th day of danazol administration (200 mg/day), in six postmenopausal women the activity of endogenous opioid peptides has been indirectly evaluated by the effect on LH secretion and body temperature (measured as rectal temperature) exerted by the infusion of the opioid antagonist naloxone (1.6 mg/h x 4 h preceded by 1.6 mg iv bolus). Before and during danazol administration a GnRH test (100 mcg iv bolus) was also performed to evaluate possible variations in pituitary responsiveness to GnRH. Danazol significantly reduced mean plasma levels of LH and FSH (p less than 0.01), and their response to GnRH stimulus (p less than 0.05). Either before or during danazol administration mean plasma LH and FSH levels did not vary during the infusion of naloxone, while body temperature significantly decreased (p less than 0.01). The decrease in body temperature was significantly greater (p less than 0.05) during danazol than before treatment. The present data suggest that in postmenopausal women a low dose of danazol exerts an antigonadotropic effect mainly reducing the pituitary responsiveness to GnRH. The enhanced hypothermic response to naloxone observed during danazol administration also seems to suggest that in postmenopausal women a low dose of danazol enhances the thermoregulatory role of endogenous opioid peptides.     

Thermoregulatory effects of resiniferatoxin in the mouse: comparison with capsaicin

Resiniferatoxin, an extremely irritant diterpene present in several members of the genus Euphorbia, produced an 8 C decrease in the rectal temperature of mice with an effective dose in the range of 2-20 micrograms/kg. The structurally related natural product capsaicin produced a similar magnitude of fall in body temperature, albeit with 1000-fold lower potency. Tolerance to the hypothermic effects of both compounds readily developed and cross-tolerance between the compounds was observed. The extreme potency of resiniferatoxin should facilitate biochemical analysis of the mechanism of action of this class of compounds.     

Thermoregulatory model of sleep control: losing the heat memory

Thermoregulatory mechanisms were hypothesized to provide primary control of non-rapid-eye-movement sleep (NREM). On the basis of this hypothesis, we incorporated the thermoregulatory feedback loops mediated by the "heat memory," heat load, and loss processes associated with sleep-wake cycles, which were modulated by two circadian oscillators. In addition, hypnogenic warm-sensitive neurons (HWSNs) were assumed to integrate thermoregulation and NREM control. The heat memory described above could be mediated by some sleep-promoting substances. In this paper, considering the possible carrier of the heat memory, its losing process is newly included in the model. The newly developed model can generate the appropriate features of human sleep-wake patterns. One of the special features of the model is to generate the bimodal distribution of the sleepiness. This bimodality becomes distinct, as the losing rate of the heat memory decreases or the amplitude of the Y oscillator increases. The theoretical analysis shows the losing rate of the heat memory control's rapidity of model response to a thermal perturbation, which is confirmed by simulating the responses with various losing rates to transient heat loads ("heat load pulse"). The sleepiness exhibits large responses to the heat load pulses applied in the early and late phases of wake period, while the response is significantly reduced to the pulse applied in the supposed wake-maintenance zone. This bimodality of the response appears to reflect the sensitivity of the HWSNs. In addition, the early pulse raises the immediate sleepiness rather than the nocturnal sleepiness, while the heat load pulse applied in the later phase of waking period significantly raises the sleepiness during a nocturnal sleep. In simulations of sleep deprivation, the discontinuous relationship between recovery sleep length and deprivation time is reproduced, where the critical sleep deprivation time at which the recovery sleep length jumps is extended as the losing rate increases. This is possibly due to the dissipation of the heat memory accumulated by the sleep deprivation. The simulation results here qualitatively reproduce the experimental observations or predict the intriguing phenomena of human circadian rhythms. Therefore, our model could provide a novel framework for investigating the relationship between thermoregulation and sleep control processes.     

Thermoregulatory responses of firemen to exercise in the heat

Twelve volunteer (VF) and 12 professional firemen (PF) wearing only brief trunks exercised on an electrically-braked cycle ergometer at three-five exercise intensities. After 45 min of exercise at 75 W, the exercise intensity was elevated in steps of 25 W every 15 min until the subject was exhausted. Air temperature was regulated to equal skin temperature (36 degrees-38 degrees C) and relative humidity was regulated at 52%. The two groups of firemen were comparable in terms of body mass, age and maximum oxygen consumption. Their oxygen consumption, rectal and skin temperatures, sweating and heart rate were measured during the tests. Blood lactate concentration was measured before, during and after the test. The physiological strain was higher in VF as indicated by higher heat storage, heart rate, skin and rectal temperatures. Sweat rate tended to be lower in VF than PF. The results indicated a better adaptation of the professional compared to the volunteer firemen to work in the heat, although the degree of heat acclimatization was considered to be equally minimal in both groups.     

Heat acclimation and hypohydration in aged rats: The involvement of adrenergic pathways in thermal-induced vasomotor responses in the portal circulation

1. 1. The beneficial effects of heat acclimation on thermal induced vasomotor responses of hypohydrated aged rats were assessed by measuring the isometric tension of aortic and portal rings of old and young rats under heat acclimation and hypohydration in response to -adrenergic (-AR) and β-adrenergic (β-AR) stimulation (phenylephrine 10⁻⁹–10⁻² mM and isoprenaline 10⁻⁹–10⁻⁴ respectively). In parallel, portal blood flow (PBF), which drains the splanchnic vasculature, was measured in conscious rats, before and during heat stress (42°C).

2. 2. In the aorta, heat acclimation augmented phenylephrine (-AR) induced tension, to a great extent in the older rats. Hypohydration increased -AR sensitivity in all experimental groups. Acclimation and aging brought about decreased responsiveness in isoprenaline induced relaxation (β-AR) in both the aorta and the portal vein. Hypohydration increased β-AR responsiveness in the portal vein of OR, acclimated and acclimated-hypohydrated rats.

3. 3. Normothermic euhydrated resting PBF was similar for young and old rats. Hypohydration decreased resting PBF. Upon heat stress, thermal induced vasoconstriction in hypohydrated YR and OR occurred earlier than in the euhydrated groups and was more pronounced. The latter responses were attenuated in the old rats.

4. 4. Taken together, these results imply that chronic environmental stressors such as heat acclimation and hypohydration produce selective alterations in AR responsiveness of the vasculature in both young and old rats. Consequently, thermoregulatory vasomotor mediated mechanisms, as exhibited in this study in PBF, may differ in their responsiveness in these two age groups.