. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 May 1.

Published in final edited form as: Eur J Appl Physiol. 2010 Mar;108(4):779–789. doi: 10.1007/s00421-009-1290-4

Table 2.

Calculated heat balance variables in each critical environment

	M_net (W/m²)		R + C (W/m²)		S (W/m²)		E_sk (W/m²)		E_req (W/m²)		w (%)
	Lean	Obese	Lean	Obese	Lean	Obese	Lean	Obese	Lean	Obese	Lean	Obese
34°C	192 ± 3	161 ± 4^*	−29 ± 2	−23 ± 2	12 ± 2	10 ± 1	173 ± 11	124 ± 14^*	152 ± 5	128 ± 5^*	1.54 ± 0.09	1.12 ± 0.05^*
36°C	189 ± 10	168 ± 3^*	−5 ± 3	−2 ± 3	14 ± 2	9 ± 1	188 ± 14	137 ± 20^*	170 ± 9	156 ± 4^*	1.34 ± 0.07	1.12 ± 0.07^*
38°C	195 ± 8	163 ± 4^*	16 ± 2	20 ± 2	14 ± 1	16 ± 3	224 ± 10	177 ± 20^*	196 ± 7	167 ± 5^*	1.33 ± 0.07	1.03 ± 0.06^*
42°C	209 ± 4	165 ± 4^*	60 ± 3	56 ± 3	23 ± 2	15 ± 2	241 ± 32	179 ± 15^*	246 ± 3	205 ± 8^*	1.43 ± 0.06	1.14 ± 0.08^*

Values are means ± SE for 7 lean and 7 obese subjects at 34, 36 and 38°C and 7 lean and 5 obese subjects at 42°C

M_net, net metabolic heat production; R + C, dry heat exchange via radiation and convection; S, heat storage; E_sk, evaporative cooling from the skin; E_req, required evaporation to maintain heat balance; w, % skin wettedness, calculated as E_req/E_max

Significant group difference at P < 0.05