Supplements to support thermoregulation in hot and humid environments 🥵
What can help you cool down.
The effect of dietary supplements on core temperature and sweating responses in hot environmental conditions: a meta-analysis and meta-regression
Study Details
This new paper compiled data from 124 studies and were included in three separate meta-analyses to establish the effects of supplementation on…
1️⃣ Core Temperature
2️⃣ Whole-Body Sweat Response (WBSR)
3️⃣ Local Sweat Response (LSR)
Key Findings
Here are the key findings ⬇️
Taurine significantly increased WBSR 💦
Data suggested that using Caffeine led to small rise in core temperature 🚨
Whereas…
👉 Taurine
👉 Oligonol (a potent polyphenol with antioxidative properties)
…had medium beneficial effects by lowering core temperature ❄️
GABA may also have a slight lowering effect on core temperature ✅
Low doses of glycerol (1.0 - 1.4 g/kg)…
(alone or in combination with 20 - 25 g/day of creatine for between 3 and 9 days)
…appear to aid thermal balance during exercising heat stress, through hyperhydration💧
🧂 Sodium citrate ingestion can improve thermoregulatory capacity
💊 Taurine and GABA, alongside whey protein, lowered peak core temperature
The most effective dosing strategies of the evidenced supplements are as follows ⬇️
Taurine
👉 50 mg/kg pre-exercise
GABA
👉 1 g directly before heat exposure (rest or exercise)
Oligonol
👉 100 - 200 mg
⏰ 30 - 60 min before heat exposure
Glycerol
👉 1.0 - 1.4 g/kg pre-exercise
Sodium Citrate
👉 ~100 - 600 mg/kg pre-exercise
Caffeine should also potentially be avoided due to its thermogenic effect in hot and humid conditions‼️
Conclusion
There are various strategies that can be employed to help control thermal management 💊
The best approach may be to start off with the most useful strategy (IMO Taurine) and build a heat management stack from there to use in increasingly hot and humid environments 📈