Studies on Sweat Losses of Nutrients

Abstract

Vellar, O. D. & Askevold, R. Studies on Sweat Losses of Nutrients. III. Calcium, Magnesium, and Chloride Content of Whole Body Cell-free Sweat in Healthy Unacclimatized Men under Controlled Environmental Conditions. Scand. J. clin. Lab. Invest. 22, 65-71, 1968. Calcium, magnesium, and chloride contents of whole body cell-free sweat were determined in 27 healthy adult men during one hour of profuse sweating. The results were correlated mutually and with the corresponding serum levels, body surface area and sweat rate. Results obtained in different seasonal periods (winter vs. spring-summer) were also compared. The mean sweat concentration of calcium was 0.33 mEq/liter, of magnesium 0.13 mEq/liter and of chloride 50 mEq/liter. No seasonal variations were found.

The sweat rate was directly correlated with the concentration of sweat chloride, inversely correlated with sweat calcium, and not correlated with sweat magnesium. No mutual correlations were found between the three elements, nor with the corresponding serum levels or body surface area.

The results of the study emphasize the necessity of considering dermal losses when balance experiments are performed, although values for sweat calcium and magnesium were lower than previously found.

Key Words:

• Calcium
• chloride
• environmental chamber
• magnesium
• seasonal variations
• sweat losses
• unacclimatized men
• whole body sweat