Assessment of the Effects of a 24-hour Cold and Heat Exposure on the Factors Influencing Food Intake

Military personnel and athletes have a very high energy expenditure which is increased during certain key periods (intense training, competition and mission). Compensating for this expenditure through food can be complicated by physiological ingestive limits and logistical and organizational constraints (number of meals, availability of food), which leads these populations to regularly experience energy deficit situations (intake below requirements), which could alter physical and cognitive performance and major physiological functions. Among the many constraints to which military personnel and athletes are exposed to (stress, sleep deprivation, travel, etc.) that can increase the risk of energy deficits, the impact of thermal environmental constraints is not well known. The seasonal impact and travel to countries with very different thermal environments can lead these populations to experience cold and hot conditions for long periods. Understanding how heat and cold exposure modifies appetite and energy intake therefore appears to be of great importance. The hypothesis of this study is that a 24 h heat exposure would produce a rapid and long-lasting anorexigenic action impacting energy intake, while a cold exposure would produce the opposite effect (orexigenic action).