CORP: Improving the status quo for measuring whole body sweat losses

Abstract

The measurement of whole body sweat losses (WBSL) is important to the study of body heat balance, body water balance, establishing guidelines for water and electrolyte consumption, and the study of metabolism and health. In principal, WBSL is measured by an acute change in body mass (BM) in response to a thermoregulatory sweating stimulus. In this Cores of Reproducibility in Physiology (CORP) review, we revisit several basic, but rarely discussed, assumptions important to WBSL research, including the common equivalences: mass = weight = water = sweat. Sources of large potential measurement errors are also discussed, as are best practices for avoiding them. The goal of this CORP review is to ultimately improve the accuracy, reproducibility, and application of WBSL research.