Differences in the heat stress associated with white sportswear and being semi-nude in exercising humans under conditions of radiant heat and wind at a wet bulb globe temperature of greater than 28 °C.

This study investigated whether wearing common white sportswear can reduce heat stress more than being semi-nude during exercise of different intensities performed under radiant heat and wind conditions, such as a hot summer day. After a 20-min rest period, eight male subjects performed three 20 min sessions of cycling exercise at a load intensity of 20 % or 50 % of their peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) in a room maintained at a wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) of 28.7 ± 0.1 °C using two spot lights and a fan (0.8 m/s airflow). Subjects wore common white sportswear (WS) consisting of a long-sleeved shirt (45 % cotton and 55 % polyester) and short pants (100 % polyester), or only swimming pants (SP) under the semi-nude condition. The mean skin temperature (Tsk) was greater when subjects wore SP than WS under both the 20 % and 50 % exercise conditions. During the 50 % exercise, the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and thermal sensation (TS), and the increases in esophageal temperature (ΔTes) and heart rate were significantly higher (P<0.001-0.05), or tended to be higher (P<0.07), in the WS than SP trials at the end of the third 20-min exercise session. The total sweat loss (m sw,tot) was also significantly higher in the WS than in the SP trials (P<0.05). However, during the 20 % exercise, the m sw,tot during exercise, and the ΔTes, RPE and TS at the end of the second and third sessions of exercise did not differ significant between conditions. The heat storage (S), calculated from the changes in the mean body temperature (0.9Tes + 0.1 Tsk), was significantly lower in the WS trials than in the SP trials during the 20 min resting period before exercise session. However, S was similar between conditions during the 20 % exercise, but was greater in the WS than in the SP trials during 50 % exercise. These results suggest that, under conditions of radiant heat and wind at a WBGT greater than 28 °C, the heat stress associated with wearing common WS is similar to that of being semi-nude during light exercise, but was greater during moderate exercise, and the storage of body heat can be reduced by wearing WS during rest periods.

The influence of internal and skin temperatures on active cutaneous vasodilation under different levels of exercise and ambient temperatures in humans.

To clarify the influence of internal and skin temperature on the active cutaneous vasodilation during exercise, the body temperature thresholds for the onset of active vasodilation during light or moderate exercise under different ambient temperature conditions were compared. Seven male subjects performed 30 min of a cycling exercise at 20 % or 50 % of peak oxygen uptake in a room maintained at 20, 24, or 28 °C. Esophageal (Tes) and mean skin temperature (Tsk) as measured by a thermocouple, deep thigh temperature (Tdt) by the zero-heat-flow (ZHF) method, and forearm skin blood flow by laser-Doppler flowmetry (LDF) were monitored. The mean arterial pressure (MAP) was also monitored non-invasively, and the cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC) was calculated as the LDF/MAP. Throughout the experiment, the Tsk at ambient temperatures of 20, 24, and 28 °C were approximately 30, 32, and 34 °C, respectively, for both 20 % and 50 % exercise. During 50 % exercise, the Tes or Tdt thresholds for the onset of the increase in CVC were observed to be similar among the 20, 24, and 28 °C ambient conditions. During 20 % exercise, the increase in Tes and Tdt was significantly lower than those found at 50 %, and the onset of the increase in CVC was only observed at 28 °C. These results suggest that the onset of active vasodilation was affected more strongly by the internal or exercising tissue temperatures than by the skin temperatures during exercise performed at a moderate load in comparison to a light load under Tsk variations ranging from 30 °C to 34 °C. Therefore, the modification by skin temperature of the central control on cutaneous vasomotor tone during exercise may differ between different exercise loads.