Grant: Canada Research Chairs

The long-term objective of Dr. Mündel’s research program is to realise what regulates body temperature, and how, across the human lifespan when faced with extreme internal and external environments. Over the next seven years Dr. Mündel and his team will conduct challenging and innovative human studies with three broad aims: (1) in women, uncovering the role that estrogen and progesterone contribute to temperature regulation; (2) discovering the thermoregulatory consequences of fasting (complete caloric restriction); and (3) exploring and developing targets for early detection of heat strain. Both laboratory and field studies will be utilised, combining physical activity and ambient heat stress, with primary outcome measures of human behaviour and physiology. By the end of this century, one-half of the global population will frequently face deadly heatwaves whilst leisure-time physical activity is recommended for health and well-being or is a necessity of many jobs. The results of this ground-breaking work will be translatable to the Canadian (17 million) and global (2.3 billion) female populations of reproductive age that remain an underrepresented group, as well as those Canadians that practice or are required to fast for religious, cultural, surgical or health reasons. This work can also provide a foundation for guidelines and policy on how to safely perform and optimally adapt to physical activity with heat stress, especially in key Canadian industries e.g., mining, construction, agriculture, first-responders, military.