Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Heat tolerance and aging

K B Pandolf1

  • 1U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA 01760-5007.

Experimental Aging Research
|October 1, 1994
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Middle-aged and older adults maintain work-heat tolerance when matched with younger individuals for key physiological factors. Aerobic fitness is crucial for performance in hot environments for all ages.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Constant effort during static and dynamic muscular exercise.

Journal of motor behavior·2013
Same author

Evaluation and refinement of the environmental stress index for different climatic conditions.

Journal of basic and clinical physiology and pharmacology·2003
Same author

Cold strain index applied to exercising men in cold-wet conditions.

American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology·2001
Same author

Role of core temperature as a stimulus for cold acclimation during repeated immersion in 20 degrees C water.

Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)·2000
Same author

Effects of dehydration, hypohydration, and hyperhydration on tolerance during uncompensable heat stress.

Canadian journal of applied physiology = Revue canadienne de physiologie appliquee·1999
Same author

Evaluating physiological strain during cold exposure using a new cold strain index.

The American journal of physiology·1999
Same journal

SuperAgers Show Attenuated Age-Related Decline in Episodic Memory: Longitudinal Evidence from the Yakumo Study.

Experimental aging research·2026
Same journal

Mental Health Stereotypes and Aging: Effects on Mood and Decision Making.

Experimental aging research·2026
Same journal

Aging Reduces Attentional Modulation of Speech-Evoked Cortical Responses While Preserving Adaptation.

Experimental aging research·2026
Same journal

Ageing and Type of Employment Affect Workers' Ability to Anticipate Their Employment Prospects.

Experimental aging research·2026
Same journal

Associations of Self-Defining Memories Characteristics and Transdiagnostic Variables with Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults.

Experimental aging research·2026
Same journal

Older Adults Show Reduced High Frequency Power in Both Recent and Remote Spatial Memory Retrieval Compared to Younger Adults.

Experimental aging research·2026
See all related articles

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Physiology
  • Human thermoregulation
  • Aging research

Background:

  • Work-heat tolerance generally decreases with age.
  • Previous studies lacked matched comparisons between age groups.
  • The role of physical fitness in age-related heat tolerance is debated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate thermoregulation and heat tolerance in older adults compared to younger adults.
  • To determine if physiological and morphological matching mitigates age-related differences in heat tolerance.
  • To assess the impact of aerobic fitness on performance in heat across age groups.

Main Methods:

  • Studies matched older and younger participants on body weight, surface area, body fat percentage, and maximal aerobic power.
  • Participants underwent acute work-heat stress and heat acclimation protocols.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Thermoregulatory responses (core temperature, sweating rate) and heat tolerance duration were measured.

    • Main Results:

    • Three studies showed minimal impairment in thermoregulation for older adults through their seventh decade when matched.
    • One study noted higher core temperatures and lower sweating rates in middle-aged women post-acclimation, but heat tolerance duration was similar.
    • Matched older and younger individuals exhibited comparable heat tolerance despite age differences.

    Conclusions:

    • Aerobic fitness and specific morphological factors are critical for maintaining work-heat tolerance in middle-aged and elderly individuals.
    • Age-related decrements in heat tolerance may be less pronounced than previously thought when key variables are controlled.
    • These findings support the importance of fitness for older adults engaging in activities in hot climates.