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The different types of general cold adaptation in man
1Centre de Recherches du Service de Sante des Armees, Unité de Thermophysiologie et de Bioénergétique et Environnement, La Tronche, France.
International Journal of Sports Medicine
|October 1, 1992
Summary
Human cold adaptation strategies vary based on environmental and individual factors. Moderate hypothermia can be a survival mechanism during extreme cold exposure, as seen in polar exploration.
Area of Science:
- Human Physiology
- Environmental Adaptation
- Anthropology
Background:
- Over 50 years, distinct human cold adaptation types have been identified, including metabolic, insulative, hypothermic, and combined insulative-hypothermic strategies.
- These adaptations are influenced by environmental cold stress intensity and individual factors like diet, fitness, and body fat.
- Human adaptation to cold involves developing strategies that integrate environmental and individual variables, which can change if conditions are altered.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and categorize the different types of human cold adaptation strategies.
- To explore the relationship between environmental cold stress, individual factors, and observed adaptation types.
- To analyze the potential role of caloric deficit in hypothermic adaptation during extreme cold events, such as polar expeditions.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and synthesis of existing research on human cold adaptation.
- Analysis of case studies, including indigenous populations (e.g., Alacaluf Indians, Bushmen, Inuit) and historical expeditions (e.g., J.-L. Etienne's North Pole journey).
- Examination of physiological responses in relation to environmental and nutritional conditions.
Main Results:
- Diverse cold adaptation strategies exist, tailored to specific environmental and individual contexts.
- Caloric deficit may induce hypothermic adaptation, where physiological responses prioritize energy conservation with moderate, non-life-threatening hypothermia.
- Observed hypothermic adaptation in polar explorer J.-L. Etienne's journey suggests a survival strategy to maintain energy reserves under severe caloric deficit and cold.
Conclusions:
- Human adaptation to cold is a dynamic process influenced by both external climate and internal physiological states.
- Hypothermic adaptation, characterized by controlled reduction in body temperature, can be a viable strategy for energy conservation during prolonged cold exposure with insufficient caloric intake.
- Understanding these adaptations is crucial for predicting human physiological responses in extreme environments and for optimizing survival strategies in polar exploration and similar conditions.