Okobock says the details of metabolism are important in predicting health status in modern society. The same genetic programming that was born to protect someone in the Arctic, such as a higher BMI or faster metabolism, can become a liability. Many of the subjects in Okobok’s study had normal cholesterol and blood sugar levels and were overweight and obese.There is “Fat but healthy” “They worked well in extreme cold, but now with climate change they may be breaking down and contributing to poorer health outcomes,” she says. Even if people’s diets and activity levels remain the same, as the climate warms, metabolic rates decrease, increasing the risk of obesity. “A lower resting metabolic rate in men may be a contributing factor. Embodiment It’s the effects of climate change,” she says.
In February, Okobok traveled to Inari, Finland, 265 miles north of the Arctic Circle. February is typically the coldest month of the year, with highs around 15 degrees Fahrenheit. There were several days this year when the temperature exceeded 40 degrees. “Literally, there were days in February where I didn’t even bother to wear a coat in the Arctic Circle. It’s very confusing.”
But experts warn that biological adaptation alone is not enough to determine whether a creature is suitable for fighting the common cold. First, humans migrated to cold regions less than 100,000 years ago, a mere blip on the evolutionary time scale. “Some of these adaptations may actually be less dramatic than we think,” said François Hamand, a researcher in thermal physiology at the University of Ottawa in Canada. Hamann points out that characteristics such as the size and shape of the body, hands, feet, and ears vary widely within any given population, as does the amount of brown fat.
“When traits are highly variable, as is the case with the common cold, we find that behavior is actually more important than genetics for survival,” Hamann says. The most important thing is that the individual learns to adapt to the situation. risk These are the dangers of cold places, such as the danger of falling through thin ice on a lake or the danger of not wearing appropriate clothing. “what [cold-dwelling populations] What we don’t have are the habits of living in cold environments for thousands of years. Their actions and decisions are much better than ours,” Hamann continues. (e.g. caribou skin clothing made by Inuit people) It’s warm Better than standard issue Canadian military winter uniform. )
That being said, there is one X factor that doesn’t seem to be genetic or learned. It depends on whether you like the cold or not. Levy and Ocobock are both from Michigan, but Levy hates the cold. Okobok has heard conflicting perceptions from pastoralists and Finns alike. “We run the full gamut of colors, just like you would expect anywhere else,” she says. “Even Finns and their families who have lived in Finland all their lives cannot survive winter.”
