A study published in The Lancet Public Health has found that older adults aged 60 and over face significant health risks from exposure to heat at substantially lower temperature thresholds than younger populations. The research, led by Stanford University health academics, indicates that the body’s ability to cool itself becomes compromised at much lower heat levels for seniors compared to younger age groups.
Previous studies on heat-related health risks failed to account for age-specific vulnerabilities, instead applying heat tolerance thresholds developed for younger populations to all age groups. This oversight resulted in underestimation of risks faced by older adults, who experience physiological changes that reduce their capacity to regulate body temperature, including reduced sweating, increased cardiac strain, and diminished blood vessel flexibility. The research suggests older adults face dangerous heat stress at just 1.5C of warming above preindustrial levels, compared with 4C for younger adults.
The aging global population compounds these risks. The number of people aged 60 and over is projected to double to 2.1 billion by 2050, with particularly acute impacts expected in low- and middle-income countries such as India and Pakistan. The study found that each additional degree of global heating exposes roughly one million more people to at least 180 hours of uncompensable heat stress annually, with older populations bearing a disproportionate burden.
Recent data from Britain illustrates the immediate impact. The UK Health Security Agency reported that high temperatures earlier this year caused 2,877 excess deaths across two heatwaves in May and June, nearly double the 1,504 recorded during the summer of 2025. Medical professionals note that extreme heat exacerbates chronic conditions common among older people, including heart and kidney disease, while also complicating management of multiple simultaneous health issues in healthcare settings already struggling with unsafe environmental conditions during heat events.
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