W. Larry Kenney
Professor of Physiology and Kinesiology
-
Noll Lab
University Park, - w7k@psu.edu
- 814-863-1672
Research Summary
Environmental and exercise physiology, particularly human thermoregulation, skin blood flow, and the biophysics of heat exchange.
Huck Affiliations
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,
Manuscript writing for dummies: like sands through the hourglass
W. Larry Kenney, 2025, Journal of Applied Physiology on p. 718-719
How to train your graduate students to (want to) win you awards
W. Larry Kenney, 2025, Journal of Applied Physiology on p. 270-273
Lower maximal skin wettedness in both warm-humid and hot-dry environments with advanced age (PSU HEAT project)
Kat G. Fisher, Daniel J. Vecellio, Rachel M. Cottle, Olivia K. Leach, S. Tony Wolf, W. Larry Kenney, 2024, Journal of Applied Physiology on p. 1549-1553
Quantification and interpretation of nitric oxide-dependent cutaneous vasodilation during local heating
S Wolf, G Dillon, Lacy Alexander, W. Larry Kenney, A Stanhewicz, 2024, Journal of Applied Physiology on p. 1418-1424
The effect of prescription and over-the-counter medications on core temperature in adults during heat stress: a systematic review and meta-analysis
L Hospers, G Dillon, A McLachlan, Lacy Alexander, W. Larry Kenney, A Capon, K Ebi, E Ashworth, O Jay, Y Mavros, 2024, EClinicalMedicine on p. 102886
Sex differences in heat stress vulnerability among middle-aged and older adults (PSU HEAT Project)
Olivia K. Leach, Rachel M. Cottle, Kat G. Fisher, S. Tony Wolf, W. Larry Kenney, 2024, American Journal of Physiology on p. R320-R327
Comment on “Impact of Ultraviolet Radiation on Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders: The Role of Nitric Oxide and Vitamin D”
S. Tony Wolf, W. Larry Kenney, Nina G Jablonski, 2024, Photodermatology Photoimmunology and Photomedicine
Platelet aggregation response to cyclooxygenase inhibition and thromboxane receptor antagonism using impedance aggregometry: A pilot study
A Williams, K Fisher, Lacy Alexander, W. Larry Kenney, 2024, Physiological Reports on p. e70002
Critical environmental core temperature limits and heart rate thresholds across the adult age span (PSU HEAT Project)
Rachel M. Cottle, Kat G. Fisher, Olivia K. Leach, S. Tony Wolf, W. Larry Kenney, 2024, Journal of Applied Physiology on p. 145-153
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
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
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
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
Greatly enhanced risk to humans as a consequence of empirically determined lower moist heat stress tolerance
D Vecellio, Q Kong, William Kenney, M Huber, 2023, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on p. e2305427120
Edward F. Adolph Distinguished Lecture: Skin-deep insights into vascular aging
W. Larry Kenney, 2017, Journal of Applied Physiology on p. 1024-1038
News Articles Featuring W. Larry Kenney
Oct 22, 2024
The Surprising Health Benefits of Pain
Over the past decade, scientists have increasingly found that certain forms of pain and agitation, in moderate amounts, trigger benefits for mental and physical health
Full Article
Sep 03, 2024
Older women more vulnerable to heat than their male peers, researchers find
A new study by researchers at Penn State has found that older women are physiologically more vulnerable to high heat and humidity than older men, and that women between the ages of 40 and 64 are as vulnerable as men 65 years of age or older.
Full Article
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
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
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
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