Rapidly declining body temperature in a tropical human population

Michael Gurven, Thomas S. Kraft, Sarah Alami, Juan Copajira Adrian, Edhitt Cortez Linares, Daniel Cummings, Daniel Eid Rodriguez, Paul L. Hooper, Adrian Jaeggi, Raul Quispe Gutierrez, Ivan Maldonado Suarez, Edmond Seabright, Hillard Kaplan, Jonathan Stieglitz and Benjamin C. Trumble
Additional contact information
Michael Gurven: UC Santa Barbara - University of California [Santa Barbara] - UC - University of California
Thomas S. Kraft: UC Santa Barbara - University of California [Santa Barbara] - UC - University of California
Sarah Alami: UC Santa Barbara - University of California [Santa Barbara] - UC - University of California
Juan Copajira Adrian: Tsimane Hlth & Life Hist Project
Edhitt Cortez Linares: Tsimane Hlth & Life Hist Project
Daniel Cummings: The University of New Mexico [Albuquerque] - NMC - New Mexico Consortium
Daniel Eid Rodriguez: UMSS - Universidad Mayor de San Simón [Cochabamba, Bolivie]
Paul L. Hooper: The University of New Mexico [Albuquerque] - NMC - New Mexico Consortium, Chapman University
Adrian Jaeggi: UZH - Universität Zürich [Zürich] = University of Zurich
Raul Quispe Gutierrez: Tsimane Hlth & Life Hist Project
Ivan Maldonado Suarez: Tsimane Hlth & Life Hist Project
Edmond Seabright: The University of New Mexico [Albuquerque] - NMC - New Mexico Consortium
Hillard Kaplan: Chapman University
Jonathan Stieglitz: TSE-R - Toulouse School of Economics - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - UT - Université de Toulouse - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement
Benjamin C. Trumble: ASU - Arizona State University [Tempe]

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Abstract: Normal human body temperature (BT) has long been considered to be 37.0°C. Yet, BTs have declined over the past two centuries in the United States, coinciding with reductions in infection and increasing life expectancy. The generality of and reasons behind this phenomenon have not yet been well studied. Here, we show that Bolivian forager-farmers (n = 17,958 observations of 5481 adults age 15+ years) inhabiting a pathogen-rich environment exhibited higher BT when first examined in the early 21st century (~37.0°C). BT subsequently declined by ~0.05°C/year over 16 years of socioeconomic and epidemiological change to ~36.5°C by 2018. As predicted, infections and other lifestyle factors explain variation in BT, but these factors do not account for the temporal declines. Changes in physical activity, body composition, antibiotic usage, and thermal environment are potential causes of the temporal decline.

Date: 2020-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-his
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-03081481v1
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Published in Science Advances , 2020, 6 (44), ⟨10.1126/sciadv.abc6599⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-03081481

DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abc6599

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