It has become known how age affects heat tolerance

Despite the established opinion that children suffer more from heat, a new study by Australian scientists has shown that children aged 10 to 16 tolerate high temperatures just as well as adults. The work was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM).

The experiment involved 68 physically active children and 24 adults who underwent running tests in hot conditions up to +40 °C.

As Professor Ollie Jay, director of the research center, explained, it was previously believed that children are more vulnerable to heat stress due to physiological characteristics, such as the ratio of body surface area to mass. However, the data obtained showed that sweating and body temperature increase in children occur in the same way as in adults.

"We did not find significant differences in the risk of dehydration or overheating between children and adults," Jay noted.

Nevertheless, according to study co-author Dr. James Smallcombe, it's important to remember that children may not realize they are losing moisture, and they need to be reminded to drink water. To help parents and coaches, scientists have developed a special calculator that calculates the amount of fluid needed during physical activity, taking into account temperature, height, weight, and type of activity.

Currently, the tool is only available for running and cycling, but in the future, they plan to adapt it for other types of activities.