Heat acclimation boosts athletic performance in cool weather
By ANITuesday, October 26, 2010
WASHINGTON - A new study by human physiology researchers at the University of Oregon has found that turning up the heat might be the best thing for athletes competing in cool weather.
The study examined the impact of heat acclimation to improve athletic performance in hot and cool environments.
Researchers conducted exercise tests on 12 highly trained cyclists — 10 males and two females-before and after a 10-day heat acclimation program.
Participants underwent physiological and performance tests under both hot and cool conditions.
A separate control group of eight highly trained cyclists underwent testing and followed the same exercise regime in a cool environment.
The data concluded that heat acclimation exposure provided considerable ergogenic benefits in cool conditions, in addition to the expected performance benefits in the hot environment.
The study is the first to evaluate impacts of heat acclimation on aerobic performance in cool conditions.
The study found performance increases of approximately 7 percent after 10 heat acclimation exposures.
Heat acclimation improves the body’s ability to control body temperature, improves sweating and increases blood flow through the skin, and expands blood volume allowing the heart to pump to more blood to muscles, organs and the skin as needed.
The paper was published in the October issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology. (ANI)
