Effect of warm environment on the skin blood flow response to food intake

Figures & data

Table 1. Participants’ anthropometric characteristics.

Variables	Age (years)	Height (m)	Body mass (kg)	Body mass index (kg/m^2)	Fat mass (%)	Systolic blood pressure (mmHg)	Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg)
Women N = 20	22.1 ± 3.1	1.64 ± 0.06	59.1 ± 7.9	22.0 ± 2.2	24.8 ± 6.4	111 ± 8	74 ± 4
Men N = 12	20.0 ± 1.3	1.79 ± 0.07	72.9 ± 11.3	22.6 ± 2.4	10.9 ± 6.0	116 ± 11	74 ± 10

Table 2. Glycemia and mean arterial blood pressure before and after the meal in the two environmental conditions.

	20 °C		31 °C
	Pre-prandial	Postprandial	Pre-prandial	Postprandial
Glycemia (g/L) women	0.90 ± 0.11	1.12 ± 0.15*	0.94 ± 0.11	1.30 ± 0.14^*,#
Glycemia (g/L)
men	0.90 ± 0.08	1.11 ± 0.14*	0.96 ± 0.06	1.32 ± 0.18^*,#
Mean arterial blood pressure (mmHg) women	86 ± 6	86 ± 7	85 ± 8	84 ± 9
Mean arterial blood pressure (mmHg) men	88 ± 9	87 ± 6	90 ± 8	87 ± 7

Post-hoc results are identified as follows. *Significant difference as compared with the pre-prandial state in the same environmental temperature. ^#Significant difference as compared with the control environmental temperature.

Figure 1. Skin blood flow (PU) and its determinants in response to local heating in women before (solid line) and after (dashed line) the meal at 20 °C (gray line) and at 31 °C (black line). (A) Skin blood flow (PU) phases (p < .001); temperature (p < .001); temperature x phase (p = .002); meal x temperature (p = .01); all other p > .13. (B) Velocity (VU) phases (p < .001); temperature (p < .001); meal x temperature (p < .001); all other p > .29. (C) Concentration of moving blood cell (CU) phases (p < .001); temperature x phase (p = .02); all other p > .20. Post-hoc velocity results are identified as follows: *Significant difference as compared with baseline phase in the same meal state and environmental condition. ^#Significant difference as compared with the pre-prandial state in the same environmental condition. ⁺Significant difference as compared with the control temperature.

Figure 2. Skin blood flow (PU) and its determinants in response to local heating in men before and after food intake (A) Skin blood flow phases (p < .001); temperature (p < .001); meal (p = .007); temperature x phases (p < .001); all other p > .40. (B) Velocity (VU) phases (p < .001); temperature (p <.001); meal (p < .001); temperature x phase (p < .001); meal x temperature (p = .001); meal x phase (p < .001); temperature x phase x meal (p = .60). (C) Concentration of moving blood cell (CU) phases (p <.001); temperature (p = .006); temperature x phase x meal (p < .001), all other p > .16.

Figure 3. Skin blood flow (PU) and its determinants in response to local heating in women before and after the meal at 20 °C (gray line) and at 31 °C (black line).

Figure 4. Skin blood flow (PU) and its determinants in response to local heating in men before and after the meal at 20 °C (gray line) and at 31 °C (black line).