A drop in temperature: Researchers examine the decline in average body temperature among healthy adults over the past two decades

 

Milly Koenig

Forensics

January 4, 2022

Current Event 8

 

University of California - Santa Barbara. "A drop in temperature: 

Researchers examine the decline in average body temperature among healthy adults over the past two decades." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 28 October 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201028171432.htm>

 

For decades 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit or 37 degrees Celsius has been commonly accepted to be the body temperature of a healthy individual, but for some reason, this number has been steadily decreasing over the past two decades. Recent studies have proven this decrease, but scientists are still unable to conclude why exactly our bodies are getting cooler. A 2017 study of 35,000 adults in the UK concluded the average body temperature to be 97.9°F, and a 2019 study showed that the normal body temperature in the Americas to be about 97.5°F. After finding this, experts and large teams of scientists and doctors investigated what environmental conditions are leading to this phenomenon, “they have observed a rapid decline in average body temperature -- 0.09°F per year, such that today Tsimane body temperatures are roughly 97.7°F” (University of California). They continued to explain how this change over the past two decades is greater than that of the preceding two centuries and looked to reasons as to why this is occurring. There are “multiple other factors that might affect body temperatures, such as ambient temperature and body mass… One leading hypothesis is that we've experienced fewer infections over time due to improved hygiene, clean water, vaccinations, and medical treatment” (University of California). They also highlight that the same type of thermometer was used in most of these studies so there is not a change in temperature as a result of a change in instruments. Other hypotheses include a rise in modern health care resulting in lower rates of lingering mild infections, better physics shape resulting in bodies needing to work less to fight off infections, the increased use of anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, or even the fact that “our bodies don't have to work as hard to regulate internal temperature because of air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter” (University of California).  

Body temperature is important to understand as it is one of the primary indicators of what is going on within the body. It is commonly accepted that there is a normal range for body temperature but understanding this shift towards lower body temperatures may help doctors better understand their patients, and properly track their temperature patterns. In addition, body temperature provides insight into a population's overall health, and this can allow scientists to alter predictions regarding factors such as life expectancy. Body temperature is so easy to measure, but by understanding trends, we can figure out a lot about entire populations. 

This article does a very good job explaining and walking the reader through all of the different reasons why this phenomenon may be occurring, in addition to explaining its significance. Although scientists and doctors are not yet able to deduce why this trend is occurring, it is very helpful to be able to visualize how factors such as modern medicine and technology may be altering how our bodies function. This article is also able to explain how something as simple as body temperature may allow scientists to understand whole populations and make predictions about life expectancy. This article failed to explain the biological component of how body temperature changes and I think that this would have made the article more effective. They could have mentioned enzymes, and other components that change with body temperature, and what the long-term effects on the human body will be if body temperature continues to decrease.