KnowraSweatSweatSweat is a watery secretion released by sweat glands. Its evaporation from the skin is a major way the body sheds heat.BriefConnectEccrine sweat gland: A widespread sweat gland that releases watery fluid onto the skin surface. These glands produce most sweat used for cooling.Water: A chemical compound of hydrogen and oxygen that is liquid under ordinary surface conditions. Water makes up most sweat and absorbs heat as it evaporates.Exercise-induced sweating: Sweat production that increases during physical activity as metabolic heat rises. Exercise combines muscular heat production with greater cooling demand.Sebum: An oily mixture secreted by sebaceous glands into hair follicles. Unlike watery sweat, sebum lubricates skin and hair.Apocrine sweat gland: A sweat gland that releases a protein- and lipid-rich secretion into hair follicles, mainly after puberty. Its secretion differs from the watery sweat that cools the body.Electrolyte: A substance that forms electrically charged particles when dissolved in water. Sweat carries sodium and chloride, which can be lost during heavy sweating.Heat acclimatization: Physiological adaptation to repeated exposure to hot conditions. Acclimatization can make sweating begin earlier and increase its capacity.Cerumen: A waxy secretion in the outer ear canal, produced partly by modified apocrine glands. Its glandular origin overlaps with apocrine sweat, but its function and location differ.Thermoregulation: The biological control of body temperature within a viable range. Sweating helps lower body temperature when heat rises.Sodium chloride: An ionic compound commonly known as table salt. It is a principal salt lost in sweat.Show all 21Linked from 9 pagesBodily secretionsBroader topic: Evaporating sweat cools the body, while its composition also reflects gland activity.Sports drinkRelated: Sweating removes both water and electrolytes, creating the losses these drinks address.Body odorNarrower topic: It supplies water and chemical precursors for many forms of body odor.UrineCompared with: Unlike urine, sweat is produced mainly for temperature regulation.GatoradeRelated: Sweating during exercise is the fluid and electrolyte loss Gatorade is designed to address.Renal excretionCompared with: Small amounts of dissolved substances leave through skin rather than urine.PerspirationRelated: Perspiration is the process; sweat is the fluid it produces.Show all 9