Journal article
The effect of 8-day oral taurine supplementation on thermoregulation during low-intensity exercise at fixed heat production in hot conditions of incremental humidity
European Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol.124, pp.2561-2576
2024
PMCID: PMC11365861
PMID: 38582816
Abstract
Purpose
To determine the effect of taurine supplementation on sweating and core temperature responses, including the transition from compensable to uncompensable heat stress, during prolonged low-intensity exercise of a fixed-heat production (~ 200W/m2) in hot conditions (37.5 °C), at both fixed and incremental vapour-pressure.
Methods
Fifteen females (n = 3) and males (n = 12; 27 ± 5 years, 78 ± 9 kg,
O2max 50.3 ± 7.8 mL/kg/min), completed a treadmill walking protocol (~ 200W/m2 heat production [Ḣprod]) in the heat (37.5 ± 0.1 °C) at fixed-(16-mmHg) and ramped-humidity (∆1.5-mmHg/5-min) following 1 week of oral taurine supplementation (50 mg/kg/bm) or placebo, in a double-blind, randomised, cross-over design. Participants were assessed for whole-body sweat loss (WBSL), local sweat rate (LSR), sweat gland activation (SGA), core temperature (Tcore), breakpoint of compensability (Pcrit) and calorimetric heat transfer components. Plasma volume and plasma taurine concentrations were established through pre- and post-trial blood samples.
Results
Taurine supplementation increased WBSL by 26.6% and 5.1% (p = 0.035), LSR by 15.5% and 7.8% (p = 0.013), SGA (1 × 1 cm) by 32.2% and 29.9% (p < 0.001) and SGA (3 × 3 cm) by 22.1% and 17.1% (p = 0.015) during the fixed- and ramped-humidity exercise periods, respectively. Evaporative heat loss was enhanced by 27% (p = 0.010), heat-storage reduced by 72% (p = 0.024) and Pcrit was greater in taurine vs placebo (25.0-mmHg vs 21.7-mmHg; p = 0.002).
Conclusion
Taurine supplementation increased sweating responses during fixed Ḣprod in hot conditions, prior to substantial heat strain and before the breakpoint of compensability, demonstrating improved thermoregulatory capacity. The enhanced evaporative cooling and reduced heat-storage delayed the subsequent upward inflection in Tcore—represented by a greater Pcrit—and offers a potential dietary supplementation strategy to support thermoregulation.
Details
- Title
- The effect of 8-day oral taurine supplementation on thermoregulation during low-intensity exercise at fixed heat production in hot conditions of incremental humidity
- Authors
- Jennifer S. Peel (Corresponding Author) - Swansea UniversityMelitta A. Mcnarry - Swansea UniversityShane M. Heffernan - Swansea UniversityVenturino R. Nevola - Swansea UniversityLiam P. Kilduff - Swansea UniversityKathryn Coates - Swansea UniversityEd Dudley - Swansea UniversityMark Waldron - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy
- Publication details
- European Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol.124, pp.2561-2576
- Publisher
- Springer
- Date published
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.1007/s00421-024-05478-3
- ISSN
- 1439-6327
- PMID
- 38582816; PMC11365861
- Copyright note
- This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Data Availability
- The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991020798602621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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