We evaluated the extent to which age, cardiorespiratory fitness, and body fat can independently determine whole-body heat loss (WBHL) in 87 otherwise healthy adults. We show that increasing age is a major predictor for decreasing WBHL in otherwise healthy adults (aged 20-70 years), accounting for 40% of the variation in the largest study to date. While greater body fat also had a minor detrimental impact on WBHL, there was no significant role for cardiorespiratory fitness.
Keywords: aging; body fat; cardiorespiratory fitness; condition cardiorespiratoire; exposition à la chaleur; gras corporel; heat exposure; older adults; personnes âgées; thermoregulation; thermorégulation; vieillissement.