BODY MASS LOSS IN DRY SAUNA AND HEART RATE RESPONSE TO HEAT STRESS

ABSTRACT Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine the effects of sauna-induced heat exposure on body mass loss (BML) and its relationships with basic anthropometric and physiological variables. Methods: The sample comprised 230 healthy adult males aged 21.0 ± 1.08 years (age range: 20.0–24.5 years). Body surface area (BSA) was determined and two groups of individuals with high BSA (BSAH; n = 58) and low BSA (BSAL; n = 74) were extracted. The intervention consisted of two 10-min dry sauna sessions separated by a 5-min interlude. Pre-, peri-, and post-sauna measures of nude body mass (BM) and heart rate (HR) were taken. Results: BML differed between BSA groups by 0.28 kg (74.81%). Absolute and relative BML most strongly correlated with BM and BSA (p