Grant: Operating Grant

Prolonged exposure to hot environments or performing strenuous physical activity can heat the body. This heat is lost by contact with cool air and by sweat production, which cools the body as the sweat evaporates. However, when the body is unable to cool itself by sweating, several heat-induced illnesses such as heat stress or heat exhaustion and the more severe heat stroke can occur, and can result in death. Aging and chronic medical conditions such as Type 2 diabetes may cause changes in the body's normal response to heat. This means that older adults and individuals with Type 2 diabetes may be at a greater risk of suffering from a heat-related injury or death. This project will assess the extent to which aging and Type 2 diabetes affect the body's ability to dissipate heat. We will use the world's only whole-body direct calorimeter (a device for making very accurate measurements of the amount of heat emitted by the human body) to assess how older adults and individuals with Type 2 diabetes respond to increasing levels of heat stress at rest and during physical activity. By understanding how heat stress may develop in these individuals, we can develop appropriate heat planning and management strategies to protect our aging population and workforce and those with chronic disease from the detrimental health effects associated with heat exposure.