title: Responses of physically active and acclimatized men and women to exercise in a desert environment.
abstract: In most studies of physiological responses of men and women to exercise in the heat, the subjects are unacclimatized and the females are unaccustomed to strenuous physical activity. In this investigation, 5 men and 6 women known to be physically active in an outdoor hot-dry environment were studied in a temperate environment (Tdb=23C, WBGT=18C) and in an outdoor desert environment (Tdb=39C, WBGT=29C) during rest and exercise at 50% Vo2max. No differences between the groups occurred in Vo2, HR or Tre in either environment. Of greatest interest was that no differences occurred in evaporative weight losses, sweating rates, or % body weight losses in the heat. It was concluded that (1) women accustomed to exercise in a desert climate are able to substantially increase their sudorific response, and (2) that acclimatized male and female subjects of similar aerobic capacity have comparable responses to rest and exercise in a desert environment.
mesh_terms: D000064:Acclimatization; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation; D001835:Body Weight; D003889:Desert Climate; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D005082:Physical Exertion; D012737:Sex Factors; D013546:Sweating