The Misunderstood Science of Metabolism

Burn

'Pontzer's findings have huge implications for our attitudes to exercise, diet and public health' Mark Webster, Sunday Times 
 
 A myth-busting tour of the body's hidden foundations from a pioneering evolutionary biologist 
 
 'Public health strategies stubbornly cling to the simplistic armchair engineer's view of metabolism, hurting efforts to combat obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and the other diseases that are most likely to kill us' 
 
 Herman Pontzer's ground-breaking research has revealed how, contrary to received wisdom, exercise does not increase our metabolism. Instead, we burn calories within a very narrow range: nearly 3,000 calories per day, no matter our activity level. 
 
 In this book, he draws on twenty years of cutting-edge science to take a closer look at what happens to the energy we consume. Burn explores the ways in which metabolism controls every aspect of our health - from fertility to immune function - and reveals the truth about the dynamic system that sustains us. 
 
Filled with facts and memorable anecdotes, this book will change the way you think about food, exercise and what really matters for your health.

Pontzer's findings have huge implications for our attitudes to exercise, diet and public health

Ground-breaking, fascinating, important . . . we were astounded

A fun, fast-paced, eye-opening, and innovative book that will revolutionize how you think about the energy that fuels your body and everything you do

Daniel E. Lieberman, author of Exercised and The Story of the Human Body

Burn is science writing at its best... will reshape what you thought you knew about how our metabolisms work

Alex Hutchinson, New York Times bestselling author of Endure

Burn will make you question what you think you know about metabolism and your waistline

Stephan Guyenet, PhD,  author of The Hungry Brain

Herman Pontzer is one of the most gifted science writers of our time

Kelly McGonigal, PhD, author of The Joy of Movement

Herman Pontzer

An engrossing, richly informative exploration of human biological diversity . . . it challenges us to rethink universal health benchmarks

Every “miraculous protein robot”, as Pontzer calls us, should read the book... an ambitious and enjoyable exploration of how understanding ourselves better can help us bridge the divides... I learned a lot and greatly enjoyed the tour

Adaptable is ambitious, wide-ranging, and fun to read. Pontzer has a gift for explaining complicated and nuanced topics in fresh ways, and he tackles all the big questions about how our bodies work with a delicate—and entertaining—touch

Alex Hutchinson, author of Endure

Pontzer has written a dazzling guide to the human body, in all its weird and wonderful glory. This is the fascinating story of how our bodies—products of evolutionary history and genes, environment and culture—work and why they differ. Brimming with wit and wisdom, Adaptable is essential reading for anyone interested in how we humans came to be the way we are

Kate Wong, senior editor at Scientific American

Adaptable is the book I've been waiting for. It answers questions that nag us today about the human condition and describes how we got here. It’s an engaging and down-to earth read that bristles with up-to-date and thoughtfully provocative scholarship

Nina G. Jablonski, author of It's Just Skin, Silly!

The Surprising Science of Human Diversity

Real diversity isn’t skin deep. Over the past 100,000 years, as humans expanded into every biome on the planet, our bodies and our cultures have been fine-tuned to our local environments. Our ability to adapt is at the heart of being human and the engine of our diversity. 
 
As an evolutionary anthropologist working with human populations around the globe, Herman Pontzer has conducted research that reveals the wonder of our biological diversity, documenting the connections between lifestyle, landscape, local adaptations and health. In this book, he takes us on a tour of the human body and the surprising ways in which it survives in an uncertain world: from the Andean groups who have developed increased lung capacity to the Sama divers who have larger spleens. 
 
With so much variation that can be handed down genetically, for better or worse, the way we understand our biology and its interplay with our cultural environments holds huge importance for how we understand our world and one another, including the biggest questions of our day, such as the health impact of social inequality. Eye-opening and profound, Adaptable is a revolutionary reappraisal of an overlooked science.

Herman Pontzer

Praise for Adaptable

An engrossing, richly informative exploration of human biological diversity . . . it challenges us to rethink universal health benchmarks

Every “miraculous protein robot”, as Pontzer calls us, should read the book... an ambitious and enjoyable exploration of how understanding ourselves better can help us bridge the divides... I learne ...

Adaptable is ambitious, wide-ranging, and fun to read. Pontzer has a gift for explaining complicated and nuanced topics in fresh ways, and he tackles all the big questions about how our bodies work wit ...

An engrossing, richly informative exploration of human biological diversity . . . it challenges us to rethink universal health benchmarks

Every “miraculous protein robot”, as Pontzer calls us, should read the book... an ambitious and enjoyable exploration of how understanding ourselves better can help us bridge the divides... I learne ...

Adaptable is ambitious, wide-ranging, and fun to read. Pontzer has a gift for explaining complicated and nuanced topics in fresh ways, and he tackles all the big questions about how our bodies work wit ...

An engrossing, richly informative exploration of human biological diversity . . . it challenges us to rethink universal health benchmarks

Every “miraculous protein robot”, as Pontzer calls us, should read the book... an ambitious and enjoyable exploration of how understanding ourselves better can help us bridge the divides... I learne ...

Adaptable is ambitious, wide-ranging, and fun to read. Pontzer has a gift for explaining complicated and nuanced topics in fresh ways, and he tackles all the big questions about how our bodies work wit ...

Books by Herman Pontzer

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