Single immersion in cold water below 4 °C: A health hazard in young healthy men?

The circulatory system plays a significant role in the adaptation of the human body to varying environmental conditions and stress factors, such as cold water immersion. The aim of the study was to determine whether a single immersion in cold water below 4 °C, at air temperature of -15 °C constitute...

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Main Authors: Aneta Teległów, Iwona Cicha
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2025-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0324502
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author Aneta Teległów
Iwona Cicha
author_facet Aneta Teległów
Iwona Cicha
author_sort Aneta Teległów
collection DOAJ
description The circulatory system plays a significant role in the adaptation of the human body to varying environmental conditions and stress factors, such as cold water immersion. The aim of the study was to determine whether a single immersion in cold water below 4 °C, at air temperature of -15 °C constitutes a health risk in young healthy men. For this purpose, the following parameters were determined in the blood samples collected in 13 young males before and after cold water immersion: electrolytes, renal profile, liver profile, lipid profile, glucose, testosterone, thyroid-stimulating hormone, cortisol. After the immersion, a statistically significant decrease was found for Cl- (p ≤ 0.027), mean values of renal profile indicators: urea (p = 0.0019), creatinine (p = 0.0007), and uric acid (p = 0.0293), as well as testosterone (p = 0.000037). In turn, higher values of estimated glomerular filtration rate (p = 0.0425), total bilirubin (p = 0.0033), aspartate transaminase (p = 0.0023), alanine transaminase (p = 0.0053), lactate dehydrogenase (p = 0.0336), creatine kinase (p = 0.0117), CK-MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase (p = 0.0028), and high-density lipoprotein (p = 0.0270) were measured after cold water immersion. No significant changes in other biochemical parameters were observed. Single cold water immersion thus resulted in significant changes of blood parameters within non-pathological limits.
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spelling doaj-art-35ff624e49384dff8fb5638e22bcb9282025-08-20T03:48:26ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01205e032450210.1371/journal.pone.0324502Single immersion in cold water below 4 °C: A health hazard in young healthy men?Aneta TeległówIwona CichaThe circulatory system plays a significant role in the adaptation of the human body to varying environmental conditions and stress factors, such as cold water immersion. The aim of the study was to determine whether a single immersion in cold water below 4 °C, at air temperature of -15 °C constitutes a health risk in young healthy men. For this purpose, the following parameters were determined in the blood samples collected in 13 young males before and after cold water immersion: electrolytes, renal profile, liver profile, lipid profile, glucose, testosterone, thyroid-stimulating hormone, cortisol. After the immersion, a statistically significant decrease was found for Cl- (p ≤ 0.027), mean values of renal profile indicators: urea (p = 0.0019), creatinine (p = 0.0007), and uric acid (p = 0.0293), as well as testosterone (p = 0.000037). In turn, higher values of estimated glomerular filtration rate (p = 0.0425), total bilirubin (p = 0.0033), aspartate transaminase (p = 0.0023), alanine transaminase (p = 0.0053), lactate dehydrogenase (p = 0.0336), creatine kinase (p = 0.0117), CK-MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase (p = 0.0028), and high-density lipoprotein (p = 0.0270) were measured after cold water immersion. No significant changes in other biochemical parameters were observed. Single cold water immersion thus resulted in significant changes of blood parameters within non-pathological limits.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0324502
spellingShingle Aneta Teległów
Iwona Cicha
Single immersion in cold water below 4 °C: A health hazard in young healthy men?
PLoS ONE
title Single immersion in cold water below 4 °C: A health hazard in young healthy men?
title_full Single immersion in cold water below 4 °C: A health hazard in young healthy men?
title_fullStr Single immersion in cold water below 4 °C: A health hazard in young healthy men?
title_full_unstemmed Single immersion in cold water below 4 °C: A health hazard in young healthy men?
title_short Single immersion in cold water below 4 °C: A health hazard in young healthy men?
title_sort single immersion in cold water below 4 °c a health hazard in young healthy men
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0324502
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