4 ms·
That's true but isn't 80% of our energy usage used to heat and regulate our body temp? I was wondering if we would then need less "food" for daily calories...
by snarf21 9y ago
That's true but isn't 80% of our energy usage used to heat and regulate our body temp? I was wondering if we would then need less "food" for daily calories...
- Rjevski 9y agoIsn't heat essentially a by-product of muscles "burning" the glucose? I'm not sure we actually need more heat besides what's already being generated as a by-product.
- ComputerGuru 9y agoNo, you can actually induce greater caloric expenditure by lowering the ambient temperature (within reason), if I’m not misremembering. This is, after all, the distinguishing characteristic of mammals. Reptiles have no shortage of muscle mass (just look at aligators or crocs!) but still can’t raise their body temperature to compensate for cooler weather or environments.
- sitharus 9y agoYou're correct, mammals have systems to convert energy in to heat without movement and regulate this very effectively. This isn't a distinguishing characteristic of mammals though - all birds and a few fish can regulate their body temperature. The distinguishing feature of mammals is the mammary gland - the production of milk for young.
- Terr_ 9y agoIt's possible that a factor in the raised temperature is that it deters fungal infections. https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21228411-700-killer-fungi-made-us-hot-blooded/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21228411-700-killer-f...
- littlestymaar 9y agoSee https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_adipose_tissue https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_adipose_tissue
- Banthum 9y agoYou need more if you're cold enough! Go out in frigid weather with a T-shirt on. You'll soon shiver - your body is recruiting muscles to generate heat. But also, your "brown fat" cells will start pumping out heat as well.
- AstralStorm 9y agoLiver also speeds up metabolism creating yet more heat.
- fyfy18 9y agoWhere I live there is a rather large temperature change between summer and winter (usually 60 K, sometimes higher), and during the summer I definitely feel the need to eat less calories. However this may just be an emotional response rather than anything biological.