Use of thermoregulatory material to improve exercise performance

Abstract

The use of a thermoregulating composition of matter, such as DRiWATER®, to help thermoregulate a subject user is disclosed. In preferred embodiments, the composition can be situated over significant surface area portions of the user's body (such as by garment-like coverage of substantial portions of the user, on the torso, arms, legs, head, etc., for example) or it can be situated at discrete locations (such as by packs or packets of the material at strategic, heat-intensive areas of the user, for example). Additionally, the composition can be delivered by a variety of means (e.g., directly or indirectly, contained within packets made of either breathable or closed cell material, etc.) to provide the thermoregulatory effects, according to preferred embodiments of the present invention.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates generally to the use of a thermoregulatory material to improve exercise performance, and more specifically to use of such material to improve exercise performance in the heat by maintenance of core temperature, by increasing exercise tolerance time, and / or by the chemical / phase-change properties of the material. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION I. Thermoregulation During Exercise, or High Temperature Exposure [0002] The physiological requirements for thermoregulation during exercise or high temperature exposure are considerable and if proper measures are not in place to maintain homeostasis, heat exposure can sometimes lead to death. Body temperature, or specifically core temperature is in constant dynamic equilibrium with factors that can add and subtract heat from the body. This balance is maintained by the integration of mechanisms that alter heat transfer to the periphery, regulate evaporative cooling, and vary the rate of ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0020] The use of a thermoregulating composition of mattter, such as DriWater®, to help thermoregulate a subject user is disclosed. In preferred embodiments, the composition can be situated over significant surface area portions of the user's body (such as by garment-like coverage of substantial portions of the user; on the torso, arms, legs, head, etc., for example) or it can be situated at discrete locations (such as by packs or packets of the material at strategic, heat-intensive areas of the user, for example). Additionally, t

Problems solved by technology

The physiological requirements for thermoregulation during exercise or high temperature exposure are considerable and if proper measures are not in place to maintain homeostasis, heat exposure can sometimes lead to death.

If dehydration (loss of fluids, extracellular and more critically, intracellular) progresses and plasma volume (concentration of water in blood plasma) continues to decrease, sweat rates decrease or become reduced and thermoregulation becomes progressively more difficult.

Not only does the body core increase in the heat, but also the correlating reduction in plasma volume could lead to circulatory failure.

In addition, maximal cardiac output and VO2max are reduced during exercise in the heat because the reflex compensatory increase in heart rate is insufficient to offset the stroke volume decrease (McArdle et al., 1996).

This layering effect traps insulative air layers around the body and impairs the transfer of heat to the environment.

The limited evaporative heat loss allowed by the protective clothing, combined with an increased metabolic heat production and high ambient temperature, can increase the body's core temperature to dangerously high levels.

A few hours of intense physical exercise in a hot environment can cause water loss to reach a significant level.

This dehydration, both from the intracellular and extracellular compartments, and thus, total body water (TBW) can seriously impede heat dissipation, reduce heat tolerance, and can have even more adverse effects on cardiovascular function and exercise capacity.

The effect of exercising in the heat also causes serious decreases in blood plasma volume.

However, neither hyperhydration nor glycerol loading provided any thermoregulatory advantage over the maintenance of euhydration during compensable heat stress, even after acclimatization took place (Latzka et al, 1997).

It was also suggested that changes in plasma osmolarity levels from loading before exercise in the heat, rate of fluid intake combined with core temperatures (CRTP) and skin blood flow (SKFL) may suggest that heavy loads of water intake during exercise may not be beneficial for thermoregulatory effectiveness during such conditions (Armstrong et al., 1997).

During exercise as dehydration progresses thermoregulation becomes progressively more difficult, due to the fact that a large portion of water loss through sweating comes from the blood plasma, the body's circulatory capacity is adversely affected as sweat loss progresses.

Cheung and McLellan (1998) reported that fluid replacement during uncompensable heat stress resulted in a significantly lower heart rate and longer (TT).

Although their findings are consistent, it seems to lack evidence on the importance of hydration status during uncompensable heat stress.

This extra weight from the amount of equipment causes the players to sweat more as their muscles have to work that much harder to compensate for the additional weight.

Although advances have been made in the quality of equipment that is used by such athletes, additional weight still causes an increased stress load on the body.

While most of today's equipment is designed to allow proper ventilation, professionals in various sports still have to contend with the increasing stresses placed on the body caused by the environment.

However, fluid intake is only a small part that has to be played in protecting oneself against thermo-exhaustion.

As mentioned before, equipment, fluid intake, environmental conditions and thermoregulatory properties of each individual all contribute to an increased risk of possible thermo exhaustion.

According to Latzka et al., (1998), dehydration during prolonged exercise in the heat is already known to exacerbate cardiovascular strain, increase core temperature and impair endurance performance compared with when fluids are ingested during exercise.

This is nothing new to athletes in sports such as marathon running, or even triathletes.

Although acclimatization has been proven to be an effective mechanism against environmental stresses, athletes of some other sports cannot afford the luxury of spending several days to weeks being acclimatized.

Not only is proper fluid intake important in maintaining homeostasis within the body, other problems that are associated with prolonged exercise in the heat related to the development of fatigue.

In this particular study, the main finding was that fatigue during exercise in the heat was related to high internal body temperature.

As internal temperature was increased due to different environmental conditions throughout the study, fatigue set in more quickly than in cooler environmental conditions.

Even though this particular study does shed a new light onto the effectiveness of exercising in various body positions, it still does not eliminate the problems associated with regular exercise or sports participation while in an upright position.

(1999), heat acclimatization and training may result not only in an enhanced sweating rate, which may improve heat dissipation by evaporation, but also in greater fluid losses.

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