A review of the effect of heat acclimation in exercise

During the summer months, many major sporting events take place, frequently at high environmental temperatures. Owing to physical preparation in unfavorable environmental conditions, most elite athletes partially acclimatized to the heat by changing their status adaptation to the changing needs (۱). These adaptations might be insufficient from those completed with exposure to natural heat and do not substitute for acclimatization per se (۲). As a result, getting attuned to the training condition under high heat has severe adverse effects such as rapid and easy fatigue, in addition, lactic acidosis build-up is more easily accumulated compared to either passive heat exposure or neutral-condition preparation (۳). The exact or ideal HA techniques to give an absolute positive result, are not wellknown to most elite athletes. It has recently emphasized the significance of HA for the players before the commencement of the competition as well as more calls into the research on the specific techniques to achieve these desires; HA by the players (۴). HA can be defined as a biological adaptation that minimizes physiological stress (e.g., heart rate and body temperatures), which makes athletes feel more relaxed, enhances training ability, and decreases the risk of extreme heat illness through heat stress exposure.Heat illnesses occur in virtually every aspect of world events that involve physical exercise or activities (e.g., cycling, running races, American football, soccer) and heat exhaustion. It occurs most commonly in hot-humid environments but can also happen during extreme or prolonged exercise in cold conditions (۵-۱۳). Heat cramps are painful muscle contractions that occur in workers or athletes as a result of the fluid replacement of profuse sweat with water, which causes hyponatremia (۱۴). Moreover, heat cramps are caused by the loss of salt and water as a result of profuse sweating (۱۵). They are characterized by cramps in the voluntary muscles, which occur often during exercise.According to the epidemiological statistics from the United States, an average of ۵۹۴۶ persons are medicated per year. Each year, around ۲.۰ emergency department visits per ۱۰۰,۰۰۰ people are treated in hospitals due to heat sickness acquired while engaging in a sport or leisure activity (۱۶). However, the incidence rates were significantly higher among men (۷۲.۵%) and those aged ۱۵-۱۹ years (۳۵.۶%), and ۷.۱% of patients were admitted.Another study using a survey of American football injury showed that there were between ۱۹۳۰ and ۲۰۰۹ cases, and about ۱۳ deaths from exertional heat stroke that have been recorded by a study carried out by Rae et al., (۲۰۰۸) (۱۷). Although the fatality rate is low, the heat illness demand for emergency care is high. During the ۲۰۰۲ Argus Cycle Tour in South Africa, five people died from exertional heatstroke while cycling (۱۷).Therefore, some individual sports such as those with physical contact and prolonged competition periods or games may have a serious condition of exercise/heat-related sickness and muscle injury if the players are not well acclimatized to the condition. Despite that, most participants in many sports are young talented individuals from college or recreational athletes but still present with heat when exposed to a such high-heat training session. Moreover, there is only minimal evidence recorded to date, suggesting a prevalent high risk of heat exertion among athletes throughout the companions (۱۸). However, this does not indicate a lack of risk or alleviate the requirement to address heatexertion-related issues by comprehensively outlining specific guidelines to reduce the possible dangers of exertional heat disease, especially among elite international athletes (۱۹). Certain sports governing bodies such as the International Athletes Federation suggested some recommendations for avoiding match scheduling during the hottest times of the day to reduce the risk of exertional heat illness for participants. Some sports organizing committee employs systemic control of environmental conditions as an important preventive step. There are techniques and ideas that trainers, coaches, and athletes may follow in sports like the marathon (long-distance running) to optimally induce heat acclimation before a sports competition to enhance athletes' safety and welfare. Hence, this paper reviews physiological changes, acclimatization, and recommendations to minimize heat-related illness and death in sports to improve participant’s performance at all levels

کلیدواژه ها:

environmental ، temperatures ، exercise