The average body temperature of adults today is lower than it was a century and a half ago. According to estimates by researchers in California, the current figure is around 36.4 °C, whereas for a long time 37 °C was considered the benchmark. This was reported by the BBC.
The study covered almost 190,000 people and data for the period from 1862 to 2017. Over this time, the average body temperature of American men fell by approximately 0.6 °C, and the researchers consider around 36.39 °C to be the current norm for adults.
The figure of 37 °C became established in the 19th century thanks to the German physician Carl Wunderlich, who analysed more than a million measurements taken from 25,000 patients. However, his results may have been influenced by the characteristics of the thermometers of the time and the methods used to measure temperature.
Scientists attribute the decline in temperature primarily to improvements in the population's health. The modern body encounters infections and inflammatory processes less often, and fighting these requires additional energy. In addition, heating and air conditioning in buildings have reduced the load on the thermoregulation system.
Despite the possible influence of historical measurement practices, the researchers concluded that the decline in average body temperature is a real phenomenon.
