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Short-term heat acclimation protocols for an aging population: Systematic review

Cole, Edward; Donnan, Kate J.; Simpson, Andrew J.; Garrett, Andrew T.

Authors

Edward Cole

Profile image of Kate Donnan

Dr Kate Donnan K.J.Donnan@hull.ac.uk
Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology

Profile image of Andrew Garrett

Dr Andrew Garrett A.Garrett@hull.ac.uk
Senior Lecturer in Exercise and Environmental Physiology



Abstract

Introduction Elderly and sedentary individuals are particularly vulnerable to heat related illness. Short-term heat acclimation (STHA) can decrease both the physical and mental stress imposed on individuals performing tasks in the heat. However, the feasibility and efficacy of STHA protocols in an older population remains unclear despite this population being particularly vulnerable to heat illness. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of STHA protocols (≤twelve days, ≥four days) undertaken by participants over fifty years of age. Methods Academic Search Premier, CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE, APA PsycInfo, and SPORTDiscus were searched for peer reviewed articles. The search terms were; (heat* or therm*) N3 (adapt* or acclimati*) AND old* or elder* or senior* or geriatric* or aging or ageing. Only studies using primary empirical data and which included participants ≥50 years of age were eligible. Extracted data includes participant demographics (sample size, gender, age, height, weight, BMI and VO 2max), acclimation protocol details (acclimation activity, frequency, duration and outcome measures taken) and feasibility and efficacy outcomes. Results Twelve eligible studies were included in the systematic review. A total of 179 participants took part in experimentation, 96 of which were over 50 years old. Age ranged from 50 to 76. All twelve of the studies involved exercise on a cycle ergometer. Ten out of twelve protocols used a percentage of VO 2max or VO 2peak to determine the target workload, which ranged from 30% to 70%. One study-controlled workload at 6METs and one implemented an incremental cycling protocol until Tre was reached +0.9̊C. Ten studies used an environmental chamber. One study compared hot water immersion (HWI) to an environmental chamber while the remaining study used a hot water perfused suit. Eight studies reported a decrease in core temperature following STHA. Five studies demonstrated post-exercise changes in sweat rates and four studies showed decreases in mean skin temperature. The differences reported in physiological markers suggest that STHA is viable in an older population. Conclusion There remains limited data on STHA in the elderly. However, the twelve studies examined suggest that STHA is feasible and efficacious in elderly individuals and may provide preventative protection to heat exposures. Current STHA protocols require specialised equipment and do not cater for individuals unable to exercise. Passive HWI may provide a pragmatic and affordable solution, however further information in this area is required.

Citation

Cole, E., Donnan, K. J., Simpson, A. J., & Garrett, A. T. (2023). Short-term heat acclimation protocols for an aging population: Systematic review. PLoS ONE, 18(3 March), Article e0282038. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0282038

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Feb 6, 2023
Online Publication Date Mar 2, 2023
Publication Date Mar 1, 2023
Deposit Date Mar 6, 2023
Publicly Available Date Mar 13, 2023
Journal PLoS ONE
Print ISSN 1932-6203
Electronic ISSN 1932-6203
Publisher Public Library of Science
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 18
Issue 3 March
Article Number e0282038
DOI https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0282038
Keywords Multidisciplinary
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4232588

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Publisher Licence URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Copyright Statement
Copyright: © 2023 Cole et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.




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