Abstract

As muscular contractions increase in frequency or force, so too does metabolic heat production. This increased heat production may lead to changes in physiological function to counteract the additional heat stress. Numerous authors have established that decreases in body water volume (dehydration) will elevate core temperature, compromise cardiovascular function, stress the endocrine system and may impair performance during exercise and heat stress. To counteract the decreases in body water, recommendations have been made for ingesting fluids during physical activity to reduce physiological stress. The overwhelming majority of research involving dehydration, rehydration, physiological function and performance has been perforned in warm temperatures. Heat dissipation is not the primary concern in the cold as it is in warm temperatures. However, maintaining total body water is crucial in minimizing competition for blood flow between active muscle, organs, tissues and skin during cold exposure. The sport of alpine skiing requires a high degree of glycolytic power to perform technical components as the skier descends a run. As the power requirement increases, so too does the rate of metabolic heat production. Thus, maintaining adequate blood flow to the muscle is critical in order to deliver nutrients, remove metabolytes and dissipate the generated heat. Alpine skiers may face another stress while skiing. Skiing may be performed at high altitudes. With increasing altitude, pulmonary ventilation increases. Along with the rise in ventilation, comes an increase in respiratory heat and water loss. A scenario can thus be made as to the potential for fluid disruptions during skiing. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of water ingestion on physiological function during slalom training in elite collegiate alpine racers. Einleitung (gekürzt)