The influence of a topical cooling accelerant on the thermoregulatory responses to exercise in the heat Research Completed

Title

The influence of a topical cooling accelerant on the thermoregulatory responses to exercise in the heat

Lead Author

Nicholas Gant , Andrew Foskett

Organisation(s)

Prepared for Sport and Recreation New Zealand by University of Auckland

Publication Year

2009

Publisher

Sport and Recreation New Zealand

Contacts

Nicohlas Gant

email: n.gant@auckland.ac.nz

Abstract

Fatigue often occurs during strenuous exercise in the heat due to high rates of heat production and storage. An excessively high body temperature, or exercise-induced hyperthermia, can be prevented is some situations by cooling the body externally. Popular cooling strategies include prolonged immersion in cold water or cold air, wearing cooling ice vests, and applying hand, face or neck cooling. These practices are time-consuming and often difficult to administer. They also often detract from the normal competition preparation of athletes and involve equipment that is against the rules the sport, or not permitted on field of play. A novel way of cooling the skin without adding equipment to playing uniforms, or interfering with pre-competition routines, is to soak existing garments in a solution that aids the body’s heat dissipation mechanisms. A product is commercially available in New Zealand that is designed to achieve this by using chemicals in solution (ethanol and menthol) that act as cooling accelerants. During recent competitions in hot environments, NZ men’s football teams experimented with soaking their playing shirts in this solution, with players anecdotally reporting altered perception of temperature, and positive performance outcomes.

The aim of this study was to quantify the thermoregulatory effects of this strategy in a controlled laboratory environment, using an exercise protocol designed to simulate the physiological demands of high-intensity intermittent exercise in a hot and humid environment. The study used 12 well-trained males in a crossover design involving two main trials during which jerseys were soaked in the ethanol-menthol solution or a colour and odour-matched water.

The experimental protocol resulted in participants experiencing hyperthermia of a magnitude that would likely have negatively influenced performance during competition. The main finding of this study was that garments soaked in an ethanolmenthol solution notably altered perceptual feelings of cold during exercise when compared with water alone. This change in sensory experiences generated by the solution led to in participants perceiving lower skin temperatures and decreased overall perceived body temperature. No changes were detected in the actual surface temperature of the skin, temperature of the core, or sweat lost during exercise. It appears that the test solution interacts with dermal sensory reception pathways and alters subjective sensations of temperature. This does not to produce any additional quantifiable cooling effect during exercise when compared with water, or influence effort sense at exercise of comparable intensity.

Soaking jerseys in the test solution appears to offer advantages over plain water of a similar temperature. The perception of body temperature is known to be a powerful stimulus involved in the termination exercise and decreasing workrate during fatigue and so it is possible that the test solution may enhance the self-selected performance of athletes via this mechanism. However, performance responses, and the development of fatigue, were not quantified in the present study. This ergogenic effect may also depend on the user’s perceived expectations regarding the benefits that can be derived from such a solution – a variable that was controlled during this investigation, but may vary in practice.

Keywords:

Thermoregulation; Football

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Areas of Focus

Population Groups

Men

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Provision (delivery type & infrastructure)

Topics

Sport and Recreation Types

Views

1225

Added

July 1, 2013

Last Modified

July 1, 2013