Thermal resting pattern and acute skin temperature response to exercise in older adults: Role of cardiorespiratory fitness

Juan Corral-Pérez; Borja Martinez-Tellez; Daniel Velázquez-Díaz; Jesus Gustavo Ponce-Gonzalez; Ana Carbonell-Baeza; David Jiménez-Pavón

doi:10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103678

Thermal resting pattern and acute skin temperature response to exercise in older adults: Role of cardiorespiratory fitness

J Therm Biol. 2023 Oct:117:103678. doi: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103678. Epub 2023 Aug 22.

Authors

Juan Corral-Pérez¹, Borja Martinez-Tellez², Daniel Velázquez-Díaz³, Jesus Gustavo Ponce-Gonzalez¹, Ana Carbonell-Baeza⁴, David Jiménez-Pavón⁵

Affiliations

¹ ExPhy Research Group, Department of Physical Education, Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Universidad de Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain.
² PROFITH "PROmoting FITness and Health Through Physical Activity" Research Group, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Crta. Alfacar S/n, Granada, 18071, Spain; Department of Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Division of Endocrinology and Einthoven Laboratory for Experimental Vascular Medicina, Leiden, 2333, ZA, Netherlands.
³ ExPhy Research Group, Department of Physical Education, Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Universidad de Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain; Brain Aging & Cognitive Health Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA.
⁴ MOVE-IT Research Group, Department of Physical Education, Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Universidad de Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain. Electronic address: ana.carbonell@uca.es.
⁵ MOVE-IT Research Group, Department of Physical Education, Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Universidad de Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain; CIBER of Frailty and Healthy Aging (CIBERFES), Madrid, Spain.

PMID: 37659343
DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103678

Abstract

Background: Infrared thermography is a growing area of interest in sports science due to the potential of skin temperature (T_sk) measurements to provide valuable information from rest to exercise. However, limited research exists on T_sk in older adults and the impact of factors such as sex and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) on T_sk. This study aims to investigate T_sk at rest and after acute exercise in older adults and assess whether sex or CRF influences T_sk.

Methods: Ninety-two participants (41 women, 68.48 ± 3.01 years) were examined with a thermographic camera in a conditioned room (23.02 ± 3.01 °C) at rest and after a graded protocol. The T_sk of 25 regions of interest (ROIs) were extracted and analysed.

Results: Men had higher overall T_sk at rest in 76% of ROIs, showing significant differences (p < 0.010) in six specific ROIs, independent of CRF. Both sexes had similar T_sk responses after graded exercise, with increases in distal parts (1.06 ± 0.50 °C), decreases in proximal parts (-0.62 ± 0.42 °C), and stable central T_sk (0.23 ± 0.59 °C). Increases in lower limb T_sk were significantly associated with CRF in men and women (β = 0.438, p = 0.001, and β = 0.535, p < 0.001, respectively), explaining 17% and 27% of the variance, respectively.

Conclusions: This study demonstrates a sex-specific effect on resting T_sk in older adults, suggesting that sex-specific T_sk patterns should be considered when analysing T_sk in this population. Additionally, the association between increases in lower limb T_sk and CRF suggests that T_sk could be a promising predictor of CRF in older adults.

Keywords: Aging; Infrared thermography; Thermal imaging; Thermoregulation.