Fitness and Nutrition News

Hypothermia Not An Issue For Healthy Olympians

By: Peggy Cassidy | Thursday 25 February 2010 01:57 PDT

The athletic fetes we're witnessing during the winter Olympic games in Vancouver likely have you wondering at some point, "How do they do that?"

The endurance, fitness and health shown, the speeds attained and risks these young athletes are taking are awe-inspiring, but have you also stopped to ask yourself how they manage to stay out those cold, cold mountaintops? While the weather in Vancouver has actually been milder than expected, these contenders have trained in much worse and have, in fact, lived out their greatest passions in climates most of us would consider brutal.

Experts say not to worry.

"If you are concerned about hypothermia, you don't need to be unless the temperatures are extreme," Gary Sforzo, a professor of exercise and sports sciences at Ithaca College, said in a news release.

Sforzo notes that the body adapts to temperature, meaning all that training, diet, health and exercise does more than build athletes' muscles. With time, their bodies adjust to the colder conditions.

The body "will more readily release hormones like epinephrine and thyroxine, which allow the body to produce heat more effectively in cold weather," he said. The danger zone, according to Sforzo, is usually in the -20 to -30 degree range. Add wind to those below-0 temps, and things get even more difficult to handle as frostbite becomes an issue.

For most cold-weather athletes, in addition to proper diet, health and exercise, the safety is in the gear, including the high-tech clothes they wear, the helmets, footwear and gloves.

"The layer next to your skin should be a synthetic material that transports perspiration away from the skin. Don't wear cotton, which retains moisture. Your outer layer should be a windproof jacket," BusinessWeek reports.

But again, extreme cold temperatures have not been seen in Vancouver by this year's Olympians. In fact, the Associated Press reported that French skier Cyril Miranda competed in Monday's team sprint final in a short-sleeved shirt. Fans wore similarly sparse attire, with some (guys) going shirtless under the warm afternoon sun.

It's no exaggeration to say that these fit, finessed Olympians are hot. They're strong, rugged, ruddy and, according to most experts, plenty warm as they compete in the XXI Winter Olympic Games.