Seasonal Heat Acclimatisation in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review

Author: Harry Brown, Thomas Topham, Brad Clark, James Smallcombe, Andreas Flouris, Leonidas Ioannou, Richard Telford, Ollie Jay, Julien Périard

Year: 2022

Published in: Sports Medicine

The aim of the systematic review was to assess the available literature and characterise seasonal heat acclimatisation during the summer months and identify key factors that influence the magnitude of adaptation. Twenty-nine studies were included in this systematic review, including 561 participants across eight countries with a mean summer daytime wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) of 24.9 °C (range: 19.5–29.8 °C). Two studies reported a reduction in resting core temperature (0.16 °C; p < 0.05), 11 reported an increased sweat rate (range: 0.03–0.53 L·h−1p < 0.05), two observed a reduced heart rate during a heat response test (range: 3–8 beats·min−1p < 0.05), and six noted a reduced sweat sodium concentration (range: − 22 to − 59%; p < 0.05) following summer. The adaptations were associated with a mean summer WBGT of 25.2 °C (range: 19.6–28.7 °C).