Young adults are suffering fatal heat stroke and their risks appear to increase over time, according to new study findings.

People hunker down during an extreme heatwave in Guadalajara, Mexico in 2024 as temperatures approached 110 degrees Fahrenheit across many regions during it. A new study indicates that young people are particularly at risk from extreme temperatures across Mexico.
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Extreme heat stressors place physical strain on our bodies; scientists and policymakers alike have recently focused on its potential risks to older individuals who become increasingly more sensitive as they get older. But according to a new analysis published by Science Advances, another group may also be at risk: young people. According to Andrew Wilson, an environmental scientist from Stanford University and author of this analysis. “Young people are particularly prone to heat,” according to this new analysis. In Mexico, according to this research, people under 35 made up nearly three quarters of recent deaths linked to heat. Children aged four years or younger and young adults between 18-35 years were particularly at risk; that percentage is likely to grow as human-caused climate change intensifies sticky days that cause discomfort across Mexico.
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Study results also point towards warming climate as being responsible for decreased deaths related to cold temperatures while heat related deaths increase simultaneously. They predict overall, death related to temperature will decline within Mexico but who dies will change over time. In past studies, temperature-related deaths were most frequently seen among seniors due to cold weather; but with climate change shifting towards warmer environments and temperatures rising further, more climate related deaths will likely impact young people as opposed to just seniors. Wilson finds “remarkable inequality across age groups,” noting how this highlights the complexity of heat-related deaths in an evolving climate, according to Tamma Carleton, an environmental economist from University of California Berkeley not associated with this research. In many mid-latitude and northern regions, deaths due to extreme temperatures are expected to decrease; however, those already exposed could see their death to heat increase exponentially. “On average,” Carleton notes, we will likely experience net increases under warming because heat increases will outstrip declines on the cold side. But each region could experience different results; its impacts tend to be much greater among countries who historically contributed less to human-driven climate change.
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Heat affects people’s bodies The study used comprehensive death records from across Mexico, which keeps more complete records than most countries, to compare deaths with what might be expected under normal circumstances. Sometimes there was more death than expected and by correlating “excess mortality” data with temperature and humidity data they could observe how hot/cold weather affected deaths. Examining the correlation between deaths and temperatures among various age groups, and those most sensitive, they could determine which age groups would be affected the most over time by climate models’ forecasts of their future impacts on those groups. At various ages, our bodies react differently to heat. Babies and very young children produce more heat when resting than adults do, due to being smaller with reduced surface area for dissipating heat. They’re more vulnerable than others to overheating due to this factor. “Essentially, young adults are like bigger spheres that can absorb heat more readily than candle sticks like older people do,” comments Dan Vecellio of University of Nebraska Omaha’s Climate and Health Lab who did not participate in this research project. Young adults and middle aged individuals tend to be adept at handling heat stress effectively; their sweat glands work efficiently while blood vessels, hearts, and lungs often respond more readily under heat stress conditions. Elderly bodies tend to experience decreased effectiveness from these systems: As people get older they sweat less and their hearts can’t pump as hard; thus limiting how quickly blood can move to their skin to cool it off and cool them down. Humidity only compounds this problem further. People cool themselves down through sweating; when this sweat evaporates it helps expel heat from their bodies and push it outside. But if that sweat doesn’t evaporating properly it builds up over time until eventually reaching critical core temperatures leading to potential heatstroke. Evaporation slows or ceases when air becomes saturated with moisture due to high humidity conditions.
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Studies show that death risks increase even at temperatures in the 80s with high humidity levels – where temperatures reach highs like 100F (38C). Vecellio points out that, physiologically speaking, young people usually aren’t as vulnerable if they’re simply living their daily lives normally – however this doesn’t hold true if they engage in vigorous exercises, games, or work hard days outside in extreme temperatures. “These factors will exacerbate vulnerability and risk among younger adults,” according to Mr. Deveaud. To protect everyone, programs and policies designed to shield people from heat are available across age ranges – not solely targeting elderly. U.S. outreach campaigns during heat waves often focus on people over 65; however, sometimes “we forget to talk to this population in the middle age range”, notes Jenni Vanos of Arizona State University’s Institute for Heat & Climate (ICHAC) who was not involved with this study. Maricopa County Public Health officials in Arizona have investigated who exactly is succumbing to their scorching heatwave and who’s dying as they try to identify who exactly is succumbing. She sees similarities with those identified by the New Mexico study; many heat deaths in Maricopa also tend to involve younger individuals who work outdoors or live unhoused; those lacking access to air conditioning also suffer greatly from heatstroke. Mexico is considerably warmer than its northern neighbor and boasts distinct demographic and economic conditions from those found here, yet many key findings from Wilson’s study could still apply in America as well. As one example, it is true in both countries that young workers frequently work under extremely hot conditions indoors or out – meaning they face greater risks as a group in both nations. “That would help address risks young adults face at work in ways that would improve overall health,” Wilson notes.