Stanford Study Reveals Average Human Body Temperature Is No Longer 36.6°C
Stanford Study Reveals Average Human Body Temperature Is No Longer 36.6°C
For over a century, 98.6°F (36.6°C) has been considered the standard for a healthy human body temperature. A new study from Stanford University challenges this long-standing belief.
Dr. Julie Parsonnet, an infectious diseases expert, led the study, which analyzed 618,306 oral temperature measurements. The data came from adult outpatients at Stanford Health Care between 2008 and 2017. Researchers also recorded factors like the time of day, age, sex, weight, height, body mass index, medications, and health conditions.
The findings revealed that normal body temperature varies between 97.3°F and 98.2°F (36.2°C to 36.8°C). This suggests that the commonly accepted average temperature of 98.6°F is too high.
Dr. Parsonnet noted that “normal” body temperature depends on the person and situation. The decline in average body temperature in the U.S. may be linked to reduced metabolic rates. This is possibly due to a population-wide decrease in inflammation.
Inflammation increases metabolic activity, which raises body temperature. Improved public health over the past 200 years has reduced inflammation. Advances in medicine, hygiene, food availability, and living standards have all contributed.
Dr. Parsonnet highlighted how the environment and human physiology have changed. “We’re not the same as we were in the past,” she said. Better living conditions, different diets, and reduced exposure to microorganisms have altered human biology.
The study urges reconsideration of the 98.6°F standard and calls for a personalized approach to defining “normal” temperature.
