Hypothermia News and Research

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When exposed to cold temperatures, your body begins to lose heat faster than it can be produced. Prolonged exposure to cold will eventually use up your body’s stored energy. The result is hypothermia, or abnormally low body temperature. Body temperature that is too low affects the brain, making the victim unable to think clearly or move well. This makes hypothermia particularly dangerous because a person may not know it is happening and won’t be able to do anything about it.

Hypothermia is most likely at very cold temperatures, but it can occur even at cool temperatures (above 40°F) if a person becomes chilled from rain, sweat, or submersion in cold water.

Kangaroo care helps smaller babies. Now researchers are studying babies born at normal weight

Researchers examine whether extending SSC beyond the first hour can improve early weight changes, breastfeeding and other maternal and newborn outcomes in normal-birthweight infants.

27 Sep 2026

Cold plunges may boost your mood, but the evidence is still on thin ice

A Molecular Psychiatry review examined evidence linking cold exposure with mood and mental health outcomes, alongside proposed roles for catecholamines, the HPA axis, and immune-inflammatory pathways. Early studies report short-term mood improvements and physiological changes, but clinical evidence remains limited, and the proposed mechanisms have not been established as drivers of lasting psychiatric benefits.

16 Sep 2026

Cambridge researchers discover three distinct severe pneumonia biological subtypes

Cambridge researchers have shown that severe pneumonia has three different subtypes, helping explain why some patients in intensive care units (ICUs) recover from their illness faster than others, while for other patients the disease can be life-threatening.

23 Jun 2026

New blueberry-sized ingestible sensor tracks internal body temperature

In a hospital or at home, temperatures are usually taken using an oral or forehead thermometer, but these do not always accurately reflect the core body temperature.

15 Jun 2026

Immediate kangaroo mother care boosts survival for premature infants

Preterm birth and low birth weight remain major contributors to neonatal death and long-term developmental challenges.

29 May 2026

The winter dare that leaves kids’ tongues stuck to metal

Insights from historical reports on tundra tongue incidents reveal risks to children and emphasize the need for education and effective first-aid strategies.

10 Mar 2026

Breasts as an active thermoregulatory tool for newborns

Breasts are necessary for breastfeeding, but their size is not decisive in terms of milk production. A large part of the breast consists of adipose tissue, and earlier theories have suggested that they function, for example, as a body fat reserve. Another theory proposes that breasts evolved through sexual selection as a signal of individual fitness, similar to facial symmetry.

26 Feb 2026

Tips for staying heart-safe during cold weather

While grocery store shelves may be empty, firewood piles filled and cell phones charged, there may be a few more items to check off on your prep list for the upcoming winter storms.

24 Jan 2026

Bradycardia emerges as key clinical sign of xylazine-opioid overdose

Researchers have identified bradycardia-an abnormally low heart rate–as a symptom of xylazine-opioid overdose.

14 Jan 2026

New blood biomarker predicts brain damage after cardiac arrest

A blood biomarker yet to be used in cardiac arrest care can give a clearer picture of the extent of brain damage after a cardiac arrest.

11 Dec 2025

Music therapy speeds anesthesia recovery in colorectal surgery

Integrating music therapy with anesthesia recovery care enhances recovery in colorectal cancer patients, reducing complications and stabilizing vital signs.

28 Nov 2025

New WHO guidance aims to strengthen care for preterm and low birth-weight babies

The World Health Organization (WHO) is marking its first official observance of World Prematurity Day with the launch of a new global clinical practice guide for Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) – a simple, proven and life-saving intervention that significantly improves survival for preterm and low birth-weight babies.

14 Nov 2025

Scientists explore natural hypothermic states as therapy for brain injury

Hypothermia can preserve neuron health following brain injury, but complications from external cooling make it less promising therapeutically.

13 Oct 2025

Lower body temperature found to directly influence glucose metabolism in mice

Some mammals are capable of hibernating during periods of low food availability in an effort to conserve energy and survive.

10 Jul 2025

Native Americans hurt by federal health cuts, despite RFK Jr.’s promises of protection

Navajo Nation leaders took turns talking with the U.S. government's top health official as they hiked along a sandstone ridge overlooking their rural, high-desert town before the morning sun grew too hot.

3 Jun 2025

Erythropoietin fails to improve outcomes for newborns with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

Erythropoietin, a treatment for newborns with critically low levels of oxygen or blood supply to the brain at birth, does not prevent death or disability, according to a new multinational study.

25 Apr 2025

New brain circuit involved in motion sickness could help improve metabolic health

Motion sickness is a very common condition that affects about 1 in 3 people, but the brain circuits involved are largely unknown. In the current study published in Nature Metabolism, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital describe a new brain circuit involved in motion sickness that also contributes to regulating body temperature and metabolic balance.

24 Mar 2025

Cooling treatment shows no benefits for preterm infants with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy

Lowering the body temperature of preterm infants (born at 33 to 35 weeks of pregnancy) with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)-a type of brain damage caused by oxygen loss-offers no benefits over standard care, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

25 Feb 2025

Common antidepressant Fluoxetine protects from sepsis-induced death

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19 Feb 2025

New insights into mechanisms of mucosal mast cells in food allergies

Food allergy, or the aggressive immune system reaction following the consumption of a certain food or food ingredient, typically involves immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies and can be potentially life-threatening

29 Jan 2025