Alcohol lowers the vasoconstriction threshold in humans without affecting core cooling rate during mild cold exposure

Elevated blood alcohol levels are often seen in hypothermia and hyperthermia related deaths, leading to the belief that alcohol renders humans poikilothermic. We examined the core temperature (Tco) thresholds for sweating, vasoconstriction and shivering as well as core cooling rates of seven subjects immersed in 28 degrees C water. On two separate days, subjects exercised on an underwater cycle ergometer to elevate Tco above the sweating threshold. They then rested and cooled until they shivered vigorously. Subjects drank orange juice (7 ml.kg-1) prior to immersion during the control trial and 1 ml.kg-1 absolute ethanol, added to orange juice in a 1:6 ratio, during the alcohol trial. Mean blood alcohol concentration (breath analysis) was 0.097 +/- 0.010 g% at the start of cooling and 0.077 +/- 0.008 g% at the end of the cooling period. Alcohol lowered the vasoconstriction threshold by 0.32 +/- 0.2 degrees C and elevated finger tip blood flow, but had no effect on thresholds for sweating and shivering or core cooling rate. Considering these minor effects it is unlikely that moderate alcohol consumption predisposes individuals to hypothermia or hyperthermia via impaired thermoregulation, but rather likely due to behavioral factors.