In 1851, the German physician Carl Reinhold August Wunderlich obtained millions of axillary temperatures from 25,000 patients in Leipzig, thereby establishing the standard for normal human body temperature of 37°C. A compilation of 27 modern studies, reported mean temperature to be uniformly lower than estimate in 1851. Recently, an analysis of more than 35,000 British patients with almost 250,000 temperature measurements, found mean oral temperature to be 36.6°C, confirming this lower value.

Human body temperature is a crude surrogate for basal metabolic rate which, in turn, has been linked to both longevity and body size – lower metabolism, greater body mass. (a)

An alarming rise in the rates of obesity and the numerous associated health complications, from diabetes to heart disease and cancers, has occurred over the last 50 years. Prevention of the multiple interrelated and even unknown causes of the obesity pandemic has proven difficult to implement. The billions of dollars spent on reversing obesity have not solved and perhaps even worsened the pandemic. This bleak picture has encouraged creative responses, one of which is based on utilizing physiological thermogenesis to achieve the necessary net negative energy balance. (b)

Thermogenesis is the process in which the body produces heat to burn fat and turn it into energy. In order to generate heat, the body needs to burn calories. The more heat the body generates, the more calories it will burn (including weight loss).

The good news is that you can actually increase calorie burning by stimulating thermogenesis in the body.

Tools for obesity management, have been proposed as strategies for weight loss and weight maintenance, as they may increase energy expenditure (4-5%) and fat oxidation (10-16%). Daily increases in thermogenesis can eventually lead to substantial weight loss. (c)