Is our mean body temperature decreasing and why? What can we learn from it?
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Data
Reasons
Ideas
- our "body thermostat" improved (by the inner/outer factors)
- reduced physical activity in general?
- population getting older (body temperature decreases as we age)
Update on session's contributions
- the decrease in atmospheric O2 and an increase in atmospheric CO2, that cause a fall in body temperature (scroll down and for more info in the "Other environmental factors (if not global warming)" contribution
- Different measurement methods
- Prostaglandins, which are influenced by environmental temperature and intrauterine devices
- Obesity, through a hypothalamus regulation
- Measurements were taken in different climate zones
- Region specificity
- A decrease in the number of infectious diseases
- Population getting older (old ones having lower body temperatures)
- Global warming
[1]https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201028171432.htm
[2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_body_temperature
[3]https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/44/eabc6599
Creative contributions
Problems with Carl Wunderlich's temperature measurements
- The device, thermometer, used by Wunderlich was cumbersome and required 15 to 20 minutes to equilibrate to make axillary (armpit) measurements. Thermometers, today, are more reliable and equilibrate more rapidly.
- The mouth and the rectum are the preferred sites for monitoring body temperature today instead of the armpit. Carl Wunderlich preferred axillary measurements.
- There have been recordings after Wunderlich of the body temperature of normal adult populations, which recorded temperatures closer to 36.6°C (98.0°F) but the one provided by Wunderlich is still considered normal, probably, because it was a milestone (the first record).
[1]Mackowiak PA, Wasserman SS, Levine MM. A Critical Appraisal of 98.6°F, the Upper Limit of the Normal Body Temperature, and Other Legacies of Carl Reinhold August Wunderlich. JAMA. 1992;268(12):1578–1580. doi:10.1001/jama.1992.03490120092034 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/400116
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A bit of everything
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![jnikola](https://cdn.brainstorming.com/m4y0wo1708628053949.png)
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Other environmental factors (if not global warming)
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Not global warming
[1]https://www.jci.org/articles/view/135006
[2]https://theconversation.com/how-rising-temperatures-affect-our-health-123016
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![jnikola](https://cdn.brainstorming.com/m4y0wo1708628053949.png)
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I don't think its population getting older
![](https://cdn.brainstorming.com/original-16juul1605163075859.png)
[1]https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/age-dependency-breakdown
[2]https://ourworldindata.org/world-population-growth
[3]https://www.prb.org/2020-world-population-data-sheet/#:~:text=The%20world%20population%20is%20projected,as%20in%20the%20United%20States.
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![jnikola](https://cdn.brainstorming.com/m4y0wo1708628053949.png)
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Maybe the hypothalamus?
[1][1] D. Grimaldi et al., “Evidence of a diurnal thermogenic handicap in obesity,” Chronobiol. Int., 2015.
[2][1] F. Bastardot, P. Marques-Vidal, and P. Vollenweider, “Association of body temperature with obesity. The CoLaus study,” Int. J. Obes., 2019.
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![jnikola](https://cdn.brainstorming.com/m4y0wo1708628053949.png)
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Progressive increase in global iron deficiency
![Brett M.](https://cdn.brainstorming.com/bwdfp1608765907465.jpg)
[1]https://www.who.int/vmnis/anaemia/prevalence/summary/anaemia_data_status_t2/en/
[2]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5112924/
[3]https://www.nature.com/articles/pr19871174.pdf?origin=ppub
[4]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6531837/
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![jnikola](https://cdn.brainstorming.com/m4y0wo1708628053949.png)
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Measurements were taken in different climate zones
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![Povilas S](https://cdn.brainstorming.com/gb0gp1685562218266.jpg)
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![Povilas S](https://cdn.brainstorming.com/gb0gp1685562218266.jpg)
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How about prostaglandins and IUD?
[1] "Eicosanoid Synthesis and Metabolism: Prostaglandins, Thromboxanes, Leukotrienes, Lipoxins". themedicalbiochemistrypage.org. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
[2] Mary Anne Koda-Kimble (2007). Handbook of Applied Therapeutics (8th ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 1104. ISBN 9780781790260.
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![jnikola](https://cdn.brainstorming.com/m4y0wo1708628053949.png)
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Reduced number of infections or physical activity
[1]https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/768249
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![jnikola](https://cdn.brainstorming.com/m4y0wo1708628053949.png)
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Ambient temperature in the clinic might explain the differences in the average body temperature
[1]Mackowiak PA, Wasserman SS, Levine MM. A Critical Appraisal of 98.6°F, the Upper Limit of the Normal Body Temperature, and Other Legacies of Carl Reinhold August Wunderlich. JAMA. 1992;268(12):1578–1580. doi:10.1001/jama.1992.03490120092034 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/400116
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![jnikola](https://cdn.brainstorming.com/m4y0wo1708628053949.png)
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A decrease in the resting metabolic rate
[1]https://elifesciences.org/articles/49555
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Great for the lifespan
[1] Conti, B.; Sanchez-Alavez, M.; Winsky-Sommerer, R.; Morale, M. C.; Lucero, J.; Brownell, S.; Fabre, V.; Huitron-Resendiz, S.; Henriksen, S.; Zorrilla, E. P.; De Lecea, L.; Bartfai, T. (2006). "Transgenic Mice with a Reduced Core Body Temperature Have an Increased Life Span". Science. 314 (5800): 825–828.
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Decrease in ambient temperature leads to an increase in blood pressure
[1]Su D, Du H, Zhang X, et al. Season and outdoor temperature in relation to detection and control of hypertension in a large rural Chinese population. Int J Epidemiol. 2014;43(6):1835-1845. doi:10.1093/ije/dyu158
[2]Umishio W, Ikaga T, Kario K, Fujino Y, Hoshi T, Ando S, Suzuki M, Yoshimura T, Yoshino H, Murakami S (2019) Cross-sectional analysis of the relationship between home blood pressure and indoor temperature in winter: a nationwide smart wellness housing survey in Japan. Hypertension 74(4):756-766.
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![jnikola](https://cdn.brainstorming.com/m4y0wo1708628053949.png)
- human body temperature has been permanently reduced to accommodate the ambient temperature better and stop the blood pressure from rising. It's actually trying to save us from high blood pressure caused by decreased ambient temperature.
- the human body tries to keep the body temperature lower than normal to stop the pressure from rising. This doesn't follow the logic from above, right?
[1]https://www.uptodate.com/contents/raynaud-phenomenon-beyond-the-basics/print
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- The global average ambient temperature is increasing since 1850.
- An increase in ambient temperature decreases blood pressure. Therefore, there might be a subtle but permanent decrease in the average blood pressure.
- A permanent decrease in blood pressure might be more harmful than a proportionate change in body temperature.
- Therefore, the body might adjust to a lower temperature to accommodate/combat the rise in ambient temperature and maintain normal blood pressure levels.
[1]https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/expert-answers/blood-pressure/faq-20058250
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