Sweating sensitivity and capacity of women in relation to age.

Abstract

Ten postmenopausal and ten younger women rested for 2 h in a 40 degrees C, 22.2-Torr vapor pressure environment. Sweating response was monitored by resistance hygrometry for onset, a platform balance for whole-body sweat rate, and five individual capsules for regional sweat rate. Other variables measured included forearm blood flow, heart rate (HR), mean skin (Tsk) and rectal (Tre) temperatures, sweat electrolytes (Na+ and K+), oxygen uptake, and plasma volume changes. Preliminary tests included maximal aerobic power (VO2max) and percent body fat. Heat stress did not elicit any significant differences in sweating response between age groups. Indices of heat strain, Tre and HR, were also similar for both groups. The only significant difference between younger and older women was a higher Na+ concentration in the forearm sweat of postmenopausal women. No thermoregulatory responses were related to age, but both sweat rate (r = 0.48) and peak Tsk (r = -0.43) were related to VO2max. For healthy, active, older women aging did not diminish the functional capacity of the sweating mechanism to cope with heat stress while resting in this specific thermal environment.