How much cold can the human body endure? Kuya Kim answers

Just how much cold can the human body really endure?

According to Kuya Kim on Thursday's "24 Oras," the human body's capacity to endure low temperatures depends on one's ability to adapt to the cold and time of exposure.

The human body's normal temperature is 37 degrees Celsius. If it reaches 35 degrees internal temperature, it may result in hypothermia which is a medical emergency that lowers a body's temperature even more.

If the body's temperature lowers to 32 degrees Celsius, a person may lose consciousness. If it reaches 28 degrees Celsius, one may suffer from cardiac arrest.

The recorded coldest temperature that a person was able to survive from was 13.7 degrees Celsius. It was when Sweden radiologist Anna Bagenholm fell on an icy body of water in 1999.

Just recently, a seaman named Jeric Guillermo took on the Polar Plunge Challenge, where he had to dip in an Antarctica ocean with a temperature of 3 degrees Celsius.

"Nag-dalawang isip ako pero sabi ko sa sarili ko, gusto ko 'yung mga challenge ko, inaaccept ko lagi," he said. "Plano ko pong tumagal sana do'n five minutes kaso 'di ko po kaya."

"Saglit lang po [ako], tantya po ay 45 seconds. Namamanhid po 'yung legs mo, mahirap na po siyang gumalaw. Ganyan po pala 'yung feeling," he added.

("I had second thoughts but I told myself, I want to always accept challenges in front of me. I planned to endure it for five minutes but I could not do it.")

("I was there for a short while, perhaps 45 seconds. Your legs become numb, they're difficult to move. That is the feeling.")

Though the Polar Plunge Challenge has become a trend to some, general physician and biology professor Dt. Joshua Mark Nombre reminded that it has risks.

"Itong challenge na 'to, 'di natin mare-recommend 'to sa kahit anong tao. 'Di siya pwede sa matanda, yung mga may sakit sa puso, yung high blood. Dapat alam natin 'yung risks na madudulot nito."

("We can't recommend this challenge to just anyone. It's bad for the elderly, those with heart conditions, those with high blood pressure. We should know the risks it causes.")

—Franchesca Viernes/MGP, GMA Integrated News