Rapidly declining body temperature in a tropical human population
Michael Gurven, Thomas S. Kraft, Sarah Alami, Juan Copajira Adrian, Edhitt Cortez Linares, Daniel K. Cummings, Daniel Eid Rodríguez, Paul L. Hooper, Adrian V. Jaeggi, Raúl Quispe Gutierrez, Ivan Maldonado Suarez, Edmond Seabright, Hillard Kaplan, Jonathan Stieglitz, Benjamin C. Trumble
Abstract
= 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.