Changing physiological relationships in men under acute cold stress

Abstract
Thirty-four men were exposed to 8 °C for 2 h. Their reactions were studied to indicate how physiological relationships change during exposure to cold. Measurements of various body temperatures, MST, MBT, body heat content (BHC), [Formula: see text], heat production, and heart rate (HR) were made before the onset of and periodically during cold exposure. Various skin temperatures fell to different levels while rectal temperature rose slightly, then fell 0.3 °C by the end of the exposure. BHC declined by 6%, [Formula: see text] nearly doubled, [Formula: see text] and heat production increased by 66 and 75% respectively, and HR changed little during cold exposure. Relationships which changed most significantly during cold exposure were those between MST and rectal temperature, certain skin temperatures and rectal temperature, [Formula: see text] (also heat production) and BHC, [Formula: see text] and rectal temperature, and finally, those between every body temperature and the age of the subjects. Relationships which also changed were those between finger and toe temperature as well as those between [Formula: see text] (also heat production) and each of the following: [Formula: see text], rectal temperature, thigh temperature, HR, and age. These results indicated that (1) temperature in the upper extremities was actively maintained at a higher level than temperature in the lower extremities, (2) increased metabolism became a progressively more effective adaptation than redistribution of blood volume, (3) subjects with the lowest BHC tended to increase their metabolism the most, (4) [Formula: see text] was inversely related to core temperature after the latter fell below normal, (5) HR was unrelated to the increase in [Formula: see text], (6) the usual inverse relationship between age and metabolism was not found in the cold, and finally, (7) older subjects generally tended to maintain higher body temperatures than younger subjects.