During the menopause transition, only 1 in 5 women have optimal scores using the American Heart Association’s health-assessment tool, known as Life’s Essential 8 (LE8). Among the tool’s eight components, four of them — blood glucose, blood pressure, sleep quality and nicotine use — are key in driving future cardiovascular risks, with sleep being particularly crucial for long-term cardiovascular health.

This trend is making working conditions more dangerous for laborers in fields where they are regularly exposed to high temperatures like agriculture and construction. 2.4 billion laborers are exposed to excessive heat every year, resulting in 22.8 million injuries and nearly 19,000 deaths worldwide.

A new paper from researchers at the University of Connecticut's Korey Stringer Institute (KSI) demonstrates that commercially available body-cooling garments provide significant protection against extreme heat.