When the temperature outside goes up, our bodies start to react in ways we might not even notice.
A group of scientists recently looked into this and found that hot weather can actually change how our immune system works, which could help us understand how to better protect ourselves from the negative effects of heat.
The study, although still in its early stages, has uncovered that there’s a connection between warm temperatures and the way our bodies fight off illness and manage inflammation.
This is important because getting too hot has been linked to serious health problems like heart attacks and strokes.
The research was shared at a conference in Chicago and is waiting to be reviewed more thoroughly. But it builds on what we already know: that our bodies react to heat in specific ways that can affect our health.
Dr. Daniel W. Riggs and his team at the University of Louisville wanted to take a closer look at this. They knew that when our bodies try to fight off infections or heal from injuries, our immune system kicks into gear.
This includes white blood cells that help control inflammation and fight off germs. They also release proteins called cytokines that help manage this process.
Previous studies have looked at bits and pieces of this puzzle, but Riggs and his colleagues wanted a complete picture.
They examined blood samples from 624 people living in Louisville, Kentucky, as part of a larger project aimed at seeing if more green spaces could make people healthier.
These people were a mix of different ages, races, and both men and women, who all gave blood during the summers of 2018 and 2019.
The researchers looked at different types of cytokines and immune cells in the blood to see if there was any change when it got hotter outside.
They used a special index that considers temperature, humidity, and wind to see how comfortable or stressed the human body might feel in different weather. On average, it was 78 degrees Fahrenheit when they took the samples.
They made sure to account for things like the participants’ age, gender, race, and whether they smoked or were on any medications that could affect inflammation.
Their findings? Hot weather did seem to increase the levels of some cytokines and white blood cells. This suggests that when it’s hot, our bodies might be working harder to manage inflammation or fight off infections.
Interestingly, they also found that some cells that help reduce inflammation were less common in hot weather, which could make us more vulnerable to getting sick.
Dr. Riggs was surprised to see how many different types of cells were affected by just short-term heat exposure.
This might be due to our bodies adjusting to the heat, possibly by producing more of certain proteins that play a role in how our immune system and inflammation response works.
Dr. Judith Lichtman from Yale University, who wasn’t involved in this study but has looked into how temperature affects health, praised the research.
She said it’s crucial to understand how our bodies react to heat, especially with climate change making extreme heat more common. This could lead to new ways to protect our heart health.
As the climate continues to change, studies like this become even more important. Dr. Riggs and his team plan to keep exploring how long-term exposure to heat affects our bodies and whether something as simple as planting more trees could help mitigate these effects.
They’re also planning to collect more blood samples over time to see if these changes are lasting.
By digging deeper into how heat impacts our immune system, scientists hope to find new strategies for preventing and treating the health problems that come with rising temperatures.
This research is just the beginning of understanding a complex problem that affects us all, especially as our world continues to warm.
If you care about wellness, please read studies about how ultra-processed foods and red meat influence your longevity, and why seafood may boost healthy aging.
For more information about wellness, please see recent studies that olive oil may help you live longer, and vitamin D could help lower the risk of autoimmune diseases.
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