Heat Exposure for Aging
What You Need to Know Before You Apply
What is the purpose of this trial?
This trial aims to study how older women respond to extreme heat and determine the limits at which their bodies can no longer effectively cool down. Researchers will use a humidity-ramp protocol, a method that gradually increases heat and humidity, to monitor changes in participants' core temperatures. The results will help identify specific conditions that become dangerous and assess the impact on heart health, mental well-being, and cognitive function. Participants should be women aged 65 or older, non-smokers, and either have or not have controlled high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes for at least five years. As an unphased study, this trial offers participants the opportunity to contribute to important research that could improve health guidelines for older adults.
Do I need to stop taking my current medications for the trial?
The trial protocol does not specify if you need to stop taking your current medications, but it mentions that changes in medication could make participation inadvisable. It's best to discuss your specific medications with the trial investigators.
What prior data suggests that the humidity-ramp protocol is safe for older females?
Research shows that heat poses risks, especially for older adults. Studies have found that extreme heat can accelerate aging and worsen health problems in seniors. For those over 65, heat can cause serious issues like increased heart rate and body temperature. This is even more noticeable in older women, who may struggle more to cool down.
Regarding the safety of the humidity-ramp protocol, research is examining its effectiveness. This method involves gradually increasing humidity levels while monitoring body temperature to find the point where the body can no longer cool itself properly. While this method is gaining popularity, researchers continue to study its accuracy in identifying this limit.
For fixed-condition heat exposures, studies support using these methods to assess how well older adults can handle heat. These studies help understand the body's limits and ensure safety by identifying manageable heat levels.
In summary, while heat exposure can be dangerous, these studies aim to find safe limits for older adults, especially women. The research is ongoing, but the methods are carefully designed to minimize risks.12345Why are researchers excited about this trial?
Researchers are excited about the Heat Exposure for Aging trial because it explores how different heat exposure protocols might impact aging. Traditional methods for managing aging-related conditions often focus on medications and lifestyle changes, but this trial is investigating the potential benefits of controlled heat exposure. This approach is unique because it uses a humidity-ramp protocol and various fixed-condition heat exposures to see how they might affect the body's response to heat as we age. By focusing on how the body reacts to heat and humidity, researchers hope to uncover new ways to improve health and well-being in older adults without relying solely on pharmaceuticals.
What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for older females facing heat-related risks?
Research shows that older adults are more vulnerable to heat, which can accelerate aging and affect health. Studies have found that extreme heat can cause the body to age faster, similar to the effects of smoking. Over time, this can lead to more age-related health problems. In this trial, all participants will first undergo the humidity-ramp protocol, which helps identify when heat becomes dangerous, especially for older individuals. This test assesses how well the body can handle rising heat and humidity, providing insight into the heat limits for older women. Understanding these limits is crucial to preventing health risks from extreme heat.14567
Who Is on the Research Team?
Glen P Kenny, PhD
Principal Investigator
University of Ottawa
Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?
This trial is for older females aged 65 or above who are generally healthy. It's designed to understand how they cope with extreme heat, which is important because of climate change and the higher risk of heat-related illnesses in this group. Participants should not have conditions that affect their body's temperature regulation.Inclusion Criteria
Exclusion Criteria
Timeline for a Trial Participant
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
Ramping Protocol
Participants rest at 42°C, 28% RH for 70 minutes, followed by incremental RH increases to 70% RH to identify core temperature inflection points.
Fixed Condition Trials
Participants undergo randomized fixed-condition heat exposures at various levels relative to their inflection point.
Follow-up
Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after heat exposure trials.
What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?
Interventions
- Above-inflection fixed-condition exposure (5%)
- Below-inflection fixed-condition exposure (10%)
- Below-inflection fixed-condition exposure (5%)
- Control fixed-condition exposure
- Humidity-Ramp Protocol
Trial Overview
The study tests how older women handle different levels of heat and humidity. They'll go through five trials: one where humidity increases gradually, and four others at fixed conditions around a critical temperature point identified from the first trial. The goal is to see if gradual exposure accurately shows when the body can't cool itself anymore.
How Is the Trial Designed?
5
Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
The humidity-ramp protocol will necessarily be performed first. The order of the fixed-condition exposures will be randomized.
Participants will complete all exposures. The humidity-ramp protocol will necessarily be performed first. The order of the fixed-condition exposures will be randomized.
Participants will complete all exposures. The humidity-ramp protocol will necessarily be performed first. The order of the fixed-condition exposures will be randomized.
Participants will complete all exposures. The humidity-ramp protocol will necessarily be performed first. The order of the fixed-condition exposures will be randomized.
Participants will complete all exposures. The humidity-ramp protocol will necessarily be performed first. The order of the fixed-condition exposures will be randomized.
Find a Clinic Near You
Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
University of Ottawa
Lead Sponsor
Citations
Population Aging and Heat Exposure in the 21st Century
The co-occurring trends of population aging and climate change mean that rising numbers of U.S. older adults are at risk of intensifying heat exposure.
Study: Extreme Heat May Speed Up Aging in Older Adults
A new USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology study suggests greater exposure to extreme heat may accelerate biological aging in older adults.
Heat can age you as much as smoking, a new study finds
A new study published in Science Advances shows that prolonged heat exposure of that magnitude can even modify how people's genes behave, speeding up aging.
New Study Shows Heat Waves Make People Age Faster
Exposure to heat waves over just two years could add up to 12 extra days of age-related health damage.
How Extreme Heat Can Speed Up Aging
A recent study has shown that ongoing exposure to heat over 80 degrees accelerates biological aging, even more than smoking.
Population Aging and Heat Exposure in the 21st Century
Extensive research has documented how extreme heat, in particular, exacerbates older adults' morbidity, mortality, and mental health problems (9 ...
Validating new limits for human thermoregulation
While exposure to Twb above the core temperature inflection point was uncompensable, our data are less clear as to whether conditions were ...
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