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Human body temperature is inversely correlated with body mass

European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology volume 58, pages 471–475 (1989)Cite this article

Summary

Forty-two women and 18 men of mean age 54 years had their sub-lingual oral temperature measured hourly from 0700 h to 2300 h. Mean oral temperature (averaged over the 17 readings) was inversely correlated with body mass in the group as a whole (r=−0.44,df=58,p=0.0003). The women had significantly higher mean oral temperatures than the men, but the inverse relationship between mean oral temperature and body mass was still significant when the data from the women were analyzed separately (r=−0.37,df=40,p=0.013). The results suggest that in humans, mean body temperature is inversely related to body mass, irrespective of gender.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University Department of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Morningside Park, EH10 5HF, Edinburgh, Scotland

    Kirstine Adam

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  1. Kirstine Adam
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Adam, K. Human body temperature is inversely correlated with body mass. Europ. J. Appl. Physiol. 58, 471–475 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02330699

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02330699

Key words

  • Human body temperature
  • Body mass