We recruit many people including individuals with diabetes (type 1 & 2), hypertension, overweight adults, young adults, sedentary, athletic, and so on! All between the ages of 18-75 years old. Did you know that performing any kind of exercise or physical work causes the body to heat up quickly? This heat is lost mainly by evaporating sweat from the skin, helping to keep the body cool. However, whe
n the body is unable to sweat enough to keep cool, fatigue can develop, which can quickly lead to heat-related illnesses. As we age, our body’s ability to lose heat is reduced and the effect is more pronounced in individuals with diabetes. When combined with the age-related reductions in physical capacity, older adults and individuals with diabetes can experience greater fatigue when performing exercise or work, especially in the heat. If you want to learn about your physical fitness and are interested in helping researchers at the University of Ottawa study the effects of exercise-induced heat stress in older adults and individuals with diabetes. Our research activities are directed at advancing our understanding of the mechanisms governing human thermoregulatory control. Our work explores the human response associated with physical work performed during exposure to adverse and/or extreme environments. We examine how individual factors such as age, physical fitness, obesity and chronic health disorders (such as type 1 and type 2 diabetes) influence the physiological response while at the same time exploring the benefits of exercise in managing disease and human performance. Integration of advanced technologies, new knowledge and medical/industrial need has defined our research program with the key outputs being 1) improvement of the health and well being of Canadians, especially the Canadian workforce; and 2) the development/improvement of appropriate management tools that control or eliminate heat stress conditions. Our research unit is constantly seeking volunteers to participate in our studies. We provide opportunities for students to gain insight into to what physiology research is really like, a chance to meet fellow students in the health field, a method for individuals to seek volunteer hours, as well as apply knowledge from class to a real world setting. We also provide opportunities to individuals not associated with the University. As our lab conducts many studies pertaining to age differences, we are always seeking individuals from a wide age and fitness range (i.e. whether your twenty years of age or seventy or a ex iron man or a couch potato). To compensate for individuals who do seek to volunteer we offer free aerobic fitness and body composition testing. If you're at all interested in the research we conduct, drop us a line and give us a shout!
