Does Type 1 Diabetes alter postexercise thermoregulatory and cardiovascular function in young adults?

Abstract

Recent data demonstrated that individuals with Type 1 Diabetes (T1DM) exhibit impaired sweating and increased rectal temperature (i.e., heat storage) during exercise compared to healthy Controls. Our purpose in this study was to investigate the consequences of T1DM on postexercise thermal homeostasis. Sixteen participants (8 Controls matched with 8 T1DM) performed 90-min of cycling followed by 60-min of seated recovery. Esophageal and rectal temperatures, sweating (forearm, chest, and upper back), skin blood flow [forearm and upper back; presented as cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC)], and blood pressure (MAP) were measured at baseline and throughout recovery. Esophageal temperature was similar during baseline and recovery between groups (P=0.88). However, rectal temperature was elevated in our T1DM group throughout recovery (P=0.048). Sweating and CVC were similar between groups at all sites from 10-min postexercise until the end of recovery (P≥0.16). While absolute MAP was similar between groups (P=0.43), the overall decrease in MAP postexercise was greater in Controls from 20-min (T1DM: -8±5 vs. Control: -13±6 mmHg, P=0.03) until the end of recovery. We conclude that despite increased heat storage during exercise, individuals with T1DM exhibit a similar suppression in heat loss to their healthy counterparts during recovery.