Metabolic Studies of Eskimos in the Canadian Eastern Arctic

Metabolic Adaptation in Indigenous Siberian Populations

“…Beginning in the 1920s, anthropologists and comparative physiologists showed that BMRs among high-latitude groups native to North America (Alaska and Canada) were elevated compared to lower latitude populations, as well as nonindigenous populations living in the same regions (e.g., Hart et al 1962, Heinbecker 1928, Milan et al 1963, Milan & Evonuk 1967, Rabinowitch & Smith 1936, Rennie et al 1962, Rodahl 1952. Most studies were consistent in documenting this metabolic elevation, but some studies found "normal" values (e.g., Heinbecker 1931), and others described differences according to level of acculturation, with elevated values among more traditionally living groups and lower values for groups living under more economically modernized conditions (Hart et al 1962, Rodahl 1952.…”

Neandertals' large lower thorax may represent adaptation to high protein diet

“…The diet of circumpolar populations was almost 100% animal based prior to the arrival of external industrialized food supplies (Heinbecker, ; Rabinowitch et al, ), so it is of special interest here as a possible parallel to the Neandertal habitual diet during European glacial winters. There are numerous ethnographic reports and personal communications of habitual consumption of high quantities of protein among circumpolar populations, where protein consumption could reach up 300 − 320 g/day and 44%−50% of the normal caloric consumption (Heinbecker, ; Rabinowitch et al, ; Sinclair, ; Rodahl, ; Schaefer, ; Speth, ; Speth, ; Snodgrass and Leonard, ), which translates to about 1.1 kilo of lean meat. Higher long term protein consumption has never been described to the best of our knowledge.…”

“…Sinclair () also mentioned hepatomegaly among the Eskimos, which he attributed to increased glycogen storage. Another phenomenon that researchers have associated with high protein consumption in circumpolar populations was the drinking of copious amounts of water (Heinbecker, ; Rabinowitch et al, ; Draper, ),presumably in order to supply the kidneys' need for additional water, in order to remove larger amounts of urea (Martin et al, ). This increased water consumption and urine volume with high protein consumption is also seen in animal and human experiments (Levinsky and Berliner, ; Rao, ).…”

Seasonal variation in basal metabolic rates among the yakut (Sakha) of Northeastern Siberia

“…Indigenous circumpolar populations are exposed to a suite of ecological stressors (e.g., severe cold, seasonal changes in photoperiod) that exert a strong influence on physiology and metabolism. Since the early 20th century, research among native northern peoples has suggested that they have elevated basal metabolic rates (BMRs) as an adaptation for increasing heat production in the face of chronic and severe cold stress (Brown et al, ; Crile and Quiring, ; Heinbecker, ; Rabinowitch and Smith, ; Roberts, 1978). Recent studies in North America (Rode and Shephard, ) and in Siberia (Galloway et al, ; Leonard et al, ; Snodgrass et al, ) have confirmed earlier findings, demonstrating that the BMRs of native circumpolar populations are systematically elevated relative to international norms for body mass, fat‐free mass, and surface area.…”