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A new study conducted by Radboudumc researchers investigated whether an algorithm can predict core temperature during an exercise, using heart rate data only.
Climate change exposes us more often to extreme ambient temperatures, which especially during exercise can quickly lead to problems. Elevated core temperature during exercise increases the risk of developing heat-related illnesses like heat stroke. This highlights the need for non-invasive, reliable methods to monitor core temperature during exercise.
A team of researchers, including Mandy Peggen, Coen Bongers, Maria Hopman, and Thijs Eijsvogels from the department of Medical BioSciences, investigated the validity of an algorithm that can estimate core temperature solely based on heart rate measurements. The research group published their findings in the Journal of Thermal Biology in October 2024.
The study took place during the Nijmegen Four Day Marches, where participants’ core temperature was monitored continuously during one day of walking. This was done using a temperature capsule: a small ingestible sensor that can very accurately measure core temperature. At the same time, participants wore a chest strap to monitor heart rate, which the algorithm then used to estimate their core temperatures. While the algorithm was initially developed for the military population, this research aimed to determine if it could also be effectively used in the general population.
Over the course of the walking event, the researchers compared the estimated core temperature from the algorithm with the measured core temperature from the capsule. At group level, the results were promising. The algorithm was able to give accurate estimations of core body temperature, with an average deviation of only 0.09°C. However, when looking further into the individual data, large variations between participants were observed. While the algorithm very accurately predicted core temperature for some individuals, others show large deviations of up to 0.62°C.
This suggests that although the algorithm shows great potential for monitoring core temperature, it is not yet ready for implementation into practice. Future studies will need to focus on refining the algorithm to account for individual variability, ensuring that this non-invasive temperature monitoring can be reliably used by individuals in the general population.
This research is part of Radboudumc Research program: Exercise = Medicine
About the publication
Mandy A.G. Peggen, Coen C.W.G. Bongers, Johannus Q. de Korte, Bertil J. Veenstra, Koen Levels, Maria T.E. Hopman, Thijs M.H. Eijsvogels (2024). Validity of the estimated core temperature algorithm during real-world prolonged walking exercise under warm ambient conditions. Journal of Thermal Biology. Volume 125. Https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtherbio.2024.103982 .
