Intestinal Habitats
In both healthy people and those with life-threatening infections, the gut microbiome appears to help regulate body temperature.
There’s some interesting research out there about body temperature and how it’s tied to our gut bacteria. Turns out, our average body temperature has been dropping since the 1860s, and one reason might be our gut microbiome—the collection of bacteria in our intestines.
Researchers at University of Michigan Medical School led by Dr. Robert Dickson dug into this by studying patients with sepsis—a serious infection—and using mice in their experiments. They found that variations in the gut bacteria could affect how our bodies respond to infections and overall health.
In their study, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, they discovered that patients with different types of gut bacteria had different temperature responses during hospitalization. This could even predict how well they recovered.
Dr. Kale Bongers, who worked on the study, explained that our gut bacteria vary a lot between individuals, more so than our genetics. These bacteria appear to play a big role in how we handle fevers and infections. They produce substances that affect our immune system and metabolism.
To confirm their findings, the researchers used mice without any gut bacteria (germ-free mice). These mice had less dramatic temperature changes during infections compared to normal mice. When they gave antibiotics to normal mice to kill off some gut bacteria, their body temperatures dropped too.
This study suggests that changes in our gut bacteria over the years—from diet, hygiene, and antibiotics—might be linked to why our average body temperature has gone down. It’s not just a curiosity; understanding this link could help us treat infections better and maybe even prevent some health problems in the future.
Here to Help
Intestinal conditions are closely linked to pelvic health and can impact symptoms such as abdominal pain, abdominal bloating, constipation, diarrhea and bowel continence. Our pelvic health physical therapists are trained to identify and treat these and many other pelvic conditions. Pelvic health physical therapists receive additional training beyond physical therapy school and are considered specialists.
Our clinic treats for one hour in private treatment rooms. We use many interventions to help reduce symptoms and alleviate pain. Our therapists have a total of 20 plus years of experience.
References
https://www.michiganmedicine.org/health-lab/gut-bugs-control-bodys-thermostat
