Key Points
People with depression have higher body temperatures, which suggests that reducing their temperatures may have a mental health advantage, according to a new UC San Francisco research...
The study, published in Scientific Reports, doesnt indicate whether depression raises body temperature or a higher temperature causes depression..
Its also unknown whether the higher body temperature observed in people with depression reflects decreased ability to self-cool, increased generation of heat from metabolic processes or a combination of both...
Researchers analysed data from more than 20,000 international participants who wore a device that measures body temperature, and also self-reported their body temperatures and depression symptoms daily..
The body temperature data also showed a trend toward higher depression scores in people whose temperatures had less fluctuation throughout a 24-hour period, but this finding didnt reach significance...
