Breaking News English

Extreme heat may have a [harsher / harshly] effect on older people than doctors [previous / previously] thought. Researchers from Stanford University in the USA have said that the body's [tolerance / tolerates] for heat deteriorates in older people. They added that the continuing [rise / raise] in global temperatures could [pose / suppose] a serious risk of illness or death for those aged 60 and over. The [treat / threat] of rising temperatures to the health [on / of] the over-60s has been seriously underestimated. The researchers said heatwaves will put millions of older people [to / at] risk of a condition called uncompensable heat stress. This is when the body [loses / losses] its ability to cool itself. This can cause serious damage to the body and can [even / ever] lead to death.

The researchers warned: "Intolerable heat will be experienced at much larger scales and [for / up] longer durations, affecting [far / for] more people than previously thought." They said the over-60s are at a [higher / height] risk because of three physical factors — they sweat less, their hearts have to work harder in the heat, and their blood [vessel / vessels] expand more slowly. These three things limit the [able / ability] of the body to cool itself. A director at the charity Age UK said she [found / located] the conclusions in the study [alarming / alerting] . She said: "This study means there's now [not / no] denying that extreme heat poses a very real [healthy / health] threat to our older population." Elderly people in low-income countries are [likely / liken] to be at highest risk.