Effects of alcohol on autonomic responses and thermal sensation during cold exposure in humans

Alcohol
Tamae YodaKazuyuki Kanosue

Abstract

We investigated the effects of alcohol on thermoregulatory responses and thermal sensations during cold exposure in humans. Eight healthy men (mean age 22.3+/-0.7 year) participated in this study. Experiments were conducted twice for each subject at a room temperature of 18 degrees C. After a 30-min resting period, the subject drank either 15% alcohol at a dose of 0.36 g/kg body weight (alcohol session) or an equal volume of distilled water (control session), and remained in a sitting position for another 60 min. Mean skin temperature continued to decrease and was similar in control and alcohol sessions. Metabolic rate was lower in the alcohol session, but the difference did not affect core temperature, which decreased in a similar manner in both alcohol and control sessions (from 36.9+/-0.1 degrees C to 36.6+/-0.1 degrees C). Whole body sensations of cold and thermal discomfort became successively stronger in the control session, whereas these sensations were both greatly diminished after drinking alcohol. In a previous study we performed in the heat, using a similar protocol, alcohol produced a definite, coordinated effect on all autonomic and sentient heat loss effectors. In the current study in the cold, as compared to resp...Continue Reading

References

Aug 1, 1979·Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology·G R FoxG N Hobson
Jun 1, 1989·Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior·C S O'ConnorJ C Crabbe
Feb 1, 1988·Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior·C S O'ConnorJ C Crabbe
May 1, 1983·The Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology·R D Malcolm, R L Alkana
Aug 1, 1984·Annals of Emergency Medicine·J H HughesM J Daly
Jan 1, 1996·European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology·C E JohnstonG G Giesbrecht
Jan 1, 1996·European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology·A V DesruelleV Candas

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Jul 31, 2013·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Andrew S WilsonTimothy Taylor
Mar 6, 2010·Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·Teresa SeemanBruce S McEwen
Oct 17, 2018·Hepatology : Official Journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases·Meritxell Ventura-CotsRamon Bataller
Mar 5, 2019·Work : a Journal of Prevention, Assessment, and Rehabilitation·Tomi ZlatarJoão Santos Baptista

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Acute viral rhinopharyngitis

Acute viral rhinopharyngitis, also known as "common cold", is an acute, self-limiting viral infection of the upper respiratory tract involving the nose, sinuses, pharynx and larynx. Discover the latest research on acute viral rhinopharyngitis here.