W. Larry Kenney

Professor of Physiology and Kinesiology

W. Larry Kenney

Research Summary

Environmental and exercise physiology, particularly human thermoregulation, skin blood flow, and the biophysics of heat exchange.

Huck Affiliations

Publication Tags

These publication tags are generated from the output of this researcher. Click any tag below to view other Huck researchers working on the same topic.

Skin Nitric Oxide Temperature Nerve Conduction Heat Stress Temperature Stress Blood Pump Blood Vessels Vasodilation Heat Shock Response Human Aging Folic Acid Cold Stress Sympathetic Nerve Thermal Stress Health Hot Temperature Core Temperature Microneurography Reflex Arc Heating Young Adult Skin Blood Flow Tonicity Physical Activity

Most Recent Publications

Dam health effects: Drinking water salinity is a key risk factor for hypertension and dilute urine among Daasanach pastoralists in Northern Kenya

A Rosinger, William Kenney,

A Novel Conceptual Model for Human Heat Tolerance

Thomas E. Bernard, S. Tony Wolf, W. Larry Kenney, 2024, Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews on p. 39-46

Sunscreen does not alter sweating responses or critical environmental limits in young adults (PSU HEAT project)

Kat G. Fisher, Rachel M. Cottle, W. Larry Kenney, S. Tony Wolf, 2024, Journal of Applied Physiology on p. 322-329

Heat stress vulnerability and critical environmental limits for older adults

S. Tony Wolf, Rachel M. Cottle, Kat G. Fisher, Daniel J. Vecellio, W. Larry Kenney, 2023, Communications Earth and Environment

Distribution of upper limit of the prescriptive zone values for acclimatized and unacclimatized individuals

T Bernard, C Ashley, S Wolf, A Odera, R Lopez, William Kenney, 2023, Journal of Applied Physiology on p. 601-608

Core temperature and heart rate at the upper limit of the prescriptive zone

Thomas E. Bernard, Candi D. Ashley, S. Tony Wolf, W. Larry Kenney, 2023, Physiological Reports

Onset of cardiovascular drift during progressive heat stress in young adults (PSU HEAT project)

R Cottle, K Fisher, S Wolf, William Kenney, 2023, Journal of Applied Physiology on p. 292-299

Within-limb variation in skin pigmentation does not influence cutaneous vasodilation

K Fisher, William Kenney, S Wolf, 2023, Journal of Applied Physiology on p. 1403-1408

Nitric oxide-mediated cutaneous microvascular function is not altered in middle-aged-to-older adults following mild SARS-CoV-2 infection: A pilot study

G Dillon, S Wolf, A Williams, W. Larry Kenney, Lacy Alexander, 2023, Physiological Reports on p. e15704

Relatively minor influence of individual characteristics on critical wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) limits during light activity in young adults (PSU HEAT Project)

S Wolf, G Havenith, W. Larry Kenney, 2023, Journal of Applied Physiology on p. 1216-1223

Most-Cited Papers

National athletic trainers' association position statement: Fluid replacement for the physically active

Brendon P. McDermott, Scott A. Anderson, Lawrence E. Armstrong, Douglas J. Casa, Samuel N. Cheuvront, Larry Cooper, W. Larry Kenney, Francis G. O'Connor, William O. Roberts, 2017, Journal of Athletic Training on p. 877-895

Heat waves aging and human cardiovascular health

W. Larry Kenney, Daniel H. Craighead, Lacy M. Alexander, 2014, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise on p. 1891-1899

Role of folic acid in nitric oxide bioavailability and vascular endothelial function

Anna E. Stanhewicz, W. Larry Kenney, 2017, Nutrition Reviews on p. 61-70

Evaluating the 35C wet-bulb temperature adaptability threshold for young, healthy subjects (PSU HEAT Project)

Daniel J. Vecellio, S. Tony Wolf, Rachel M. Cottle, W. Larry Kenney, 2022, Journal of Applied Physiology on p. 340-345

Sympathetic regulation during thermal stress in human aging and disease

Jody L. Greaney, W. Larry Kenney, Lacy M. Alexander, 2015, Journal of the Autonomic Nervous System on p. 81-90

Determinants of water and sodium intake and output

Anna E. Stanhewicz, W. Larry Kenney, 2015, Nutrition Reviews on p. 73-82

Folic acid supplementation improves microvascular function in older adults through nitric oxide-dependent mechanisms

Anna E. Stanhewicz, Lacy M. Alexander, W. Larry Kenney, 2015, Clinical Science on p. 159-167

Historical reviews of the assessment of human cardiovascular function: interrogation and understanding of the control of skin blood flow

David A. Low, Helen Jones, N. Tim Cable, Lacy M. Alexander, W. Larry Kenney, 2020, European Journal of Applied Physiology

Edward F. Adolph Distinguished Lecture: Skin-deep insights into vascular aging

W. Larry Kenney, 2017, Journal of Applied Physiology on p. 1024-1038

Four weeks of vitamin D supplementation improves nitric oxide-mediated microvascular function in college-aged African Americans

S. Wolf, Nina Jablonski, Sara B. Ferguson, Lacy M. Alexander, W. Larry Kenney, 2020, American Journal of Physiology on p. H906–H914

News Articles Featuring W. Larry Kenney

Jun 24, 2024

Why ignoring high temperatures could be your worst health mistake

High temperatures especially risky for young and old, but it can harm anyone. Do you know how to be safe?

Full Article

Jun 19, 2024

How to Know When High Temperatures Are Getting Dangerous—And What to Do to Stay Safe in a Heat Wave

The Midwest and East Coast are in the middle of a heat dome, with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees. Heat waves are getting hotter as global warming leads to more extreme weather, and 2023 was the hottest year on record. Some scientists say 2024 is poised to be even hotter overall.

Full Article

Jun 13, 2024

Heat stress can turn deadly even sooner than experts thought. Are new warnings needed?

In the era of climate change and warming temperatures, the impact of extreme heat on people over the age of 65 is a serious public health issue because they are the most vulnerable to heat illness and death. New research from Penn State University found that extreme heat can begin to stress the human body at much lower levels of heat and humidity than previously thought.

Full Article

Oct 09, 2023

Climate-driven extreme heat may make parts of Earth too hot for humans

If global temperatures increase by 1 degree Celsius (C) or more than current levels, each year billions of people will be exposed to heat and humidity so extreme they will be unable to naturally cool themselves.

Full Article

Oct 09, 2023

Too hot for humans: Rising temperatures could soon make parts of Earth uninhabitable

Vast regions of our planet, where over half the global population resides, may soon become uninhabitable due to extreme heat

Full Article

Sep 21, 2023

Extreme heat, coupled with chronic health issues, is killing elderly New Yorkers

As global warming temperatures rise people are more vulnerable because of age and medical conditions and face a greater danger

Full Article

Jul 29, 2023

Your body can build up tolerance to heat. Here’s how.

Safe ways to train your body to build tolerance in the heat

Full Article

Jul 21, 2023

Heat can kill on the job, and these workers are dying

Deaths from the heat waves have filled some hospitals to pandemic levels and OSHA is in the process of drafting a heat standard for work places.

Full Article

Jul 19, 2023

As heat records fall, how hot is too hot for the human body?

Heat and humidity put people at greatly increased risk, and the combination gets dangerous at lower levels than scientists previously believed.

Full Article

Jul 18, 2023

The heat index reached 152 degrees in the Middle East — nearly at the limit for human survival

As the Northern Hemisphere approaches summer’s peak, heat is testing the limits of human survival in Earth’s hottest spots — and demonstrating the extremes that are increasingly possible and probable against the backdrop of accelerating global warming.

Full Article

Jul 17, 2023

As a summer heat wave pummels the US, an expert warns about the dangers of humidity – particularly for toddlers, young athletes and older adults

Dr. W. Larry Kenney, professor of physiology and kinesiology at Penn State University, who discussed why humid heat can be dangerous to human health and, in some cases, life-threatening.

Full Article

Sep 07, 2022

Sweating keeps you cool, but climate change is making it harder

Our bodies couldn't endure the summer heat without sweating. But as the climate gets hotter, sweat isn't cooling us off like it used to.

Full Article

Aug 02, 2022

Hot and getting hotter – 5 essential reads on high temps and human bodies

Launching the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) and the heat.gov site on July 26, 2022, the Biden administration cited heat waves and the warming climate as serious health threats.

Full Article

Jul 31, 2022

Why you need to worry about the ‘wet-bulb temperature’

Scientists think we need to pay attention to a measure of heat and humidity – and it’s edging closer to the limits of human survivability

Full Article

Jul 30, 2022

Will Hot Drinks Keep You Cool on Hot Days?

Or is the idea an old wives' tale?

Full Article

Jul 26, 2022

Unprecedented Heat And Stressed Grids Make Dangerous Power Outages Increasingly Likely

The electric bill Chantel Watkins pays every month costs more than a week of groceries for her family of four. Yet at any given moment, the power might flicker off, setting in motion a series of expensive and potentially deadly events.

Full Article

Jul 24, 2022

Why Extreme Heat Is So Bad for the Human Body

Blistering temperatures aren’t just uncomfortable. They can quickly escalate to become life-threatening: According to data from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers, more than 700 people nationwide died from heat-related causes annually from 2004 to 2018.

Full Article

Jul 19, 2022

Equilibrium/Sustainability — Wind farm targets picturesque Spanish seascape

The jagged Mediterranean shores from which Salvador Dalí produced some of his most celebrated work may soon become host to a disputed wind farm. Spanish government officials are preparing to approve the construction of a massive floating wind farm offshore of Port Lligat, a town about 100 miles north of Barcelona, The New York Times reported.

Full Article

Jul 19, 2022

Why 100-degree heat is so dangerous in the United Kingdom

This week, it was hotter than ever in the United Kingdom. On Tuesday, parts of England hit a temperature above 40 degrees Celsius – or 104 degrees Fahrenheit — a first in the U.K.'s recorded history.

Full Article

Jul 19, 2022

Young, healthy adults are vulnerable to high heat and humidity, too, Penn State study finds

The sun is blazing. The temperature is rising. You’re soaked with sweat. Ugh. But is it more than a matter of discomfort? Researchers at Pennsylvania State University are finding out that we humans can’t withstand as much heat and humidity as once thought.

Full Article

Jul 12, 2022

How hot is too hot for humans? The answer depends on more than the temperature.

Heat waves are becoming supercharged as the climate changes — lasting longer, becoming more frequent, and getting just plain hotter. One question a lot of people are asking is: “When will it get too hot for normal daily activity as we know it, even for young, healthy adults?”

Full Article

Jul 08, 2022

How hot is too hot for the human body?

Heat waves are becoming supercharged as the climate changes—lasting longer, becoming more frequent and getting just plain hotter. One question a lot of people are asking is: “When will it get too hot for normal daily activity as we know it, even for young, healthy adults?”

Full Article

Jun 17, 2022

Record heat wave in the U.S. raises public health concern

More than 100 million Americans this week were under some sort of heat advisory, and were warned to stay indoors if possible. From Texas to California, a massive heat wave has set record temperatures, raising concerns about how hot is too hot.

Full Article

Jul 27, 2024

Heat Exhaustion vs. Heat Stroke

Heat Exhaustions vs. Heat Stroke and the signs of Heat Stroke.

Full Article