98.6 degrees F gives human perfect balance

NEW YORK, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say human body temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit keeps metabolism up while keeping fungal growth down.

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in New York say the human body temperature of 98.6 degrees F or 37 degrees C strikes a perfect balance -- warm enough to ward off fungal infection but not so hot that non-stop eating is needed to maintain metabolism.

The study, published in mBio, looked at mathematical models to analyze the benefits gained by body temperatures that protect against fungi versus the costs -- in terms of extra food consumption -- needed to maintain body temperatures between 30 degrees and 40 degrees C. The temperature maximizing benefits while minimizing costs was found to be 36.7 degrees C.

"This study helps to explain why mammalian temperatures are all around 37 degrees C," study co-author Dr. Arturo Casadevall says in a statement.

This study is a good example of how mammalian evolution has been driven by both external biological factors and internal physiological constraints, study co-author Aviv Bergman adds.