Herman's theory that exercise doesn't affect body weight with Dr Herman Pontzer

Dr Glenn McConell chats with Professor Herman Pontzer who is a Human Evolutionary anthropologist from Duke University. Herman has undertaken research with current day hunter gather communities and shown that although they are a lot more physically active than western societies, their average energy expenditures are not higher!! Constrained energy model (energy compensation): that when exercise the body constrains other energy use so less change in energy expenditure than would expect. Based on this he has the theory that exercise doesn’t affect energy expenditure/body weight. Glenn challenged these ideas and was a devils advocate throughout this discussion.

0:00. Introduction 

1:47. Herman was surprised Hadza hunter gathers don’t have high energy expenditures 

7:39. Others had found dissociations between PA and energy expenditure 

8:34. So I ride 1hr/day and walk 10,000 steps but don’t expend more energy?! 

9:43. Constrained energy model

11:20. Minnesota starvation experiment

14:30. Starvation vs extreme exercise

16:30. Midwest exercise 2 study

17:05. Constrained energy model takes time

18:51. Some people can push past the constrained energy model 

21:20. Within subjects vs cross sectional effects re Constrained energy model 

23:58. He found higher body fat compensate more with exercise 

26:12. Optimal BMI for all cause mortality increasing 

28:00. BMR, energy expenditure and the Constrained energy model

32:39. Double labeled water method 

35:19. RER and double labeled water method 

37:50. Measuring food intake in Hunter gathers 

40:02. Given his model, shouldn’t athletes that eat a lot put on weight? 

42:29. Amount can exercise where overcome Constrained energy model 

44:44. Lack of weight loss in exercise studies

49:04. Agree that there must be some energy compensation with exercise 

51:12. Relative energy deficiency in sport vs energy compensation

53:40. Exercise and resting metabolic rate 

56:09. Cooking potatoes doubles the energy density?! 

57:38. He thinks diet determines body weight 

1:00:17. Hunger/satiety 

1:01:38. Losing weight with exercise and hunger hormones 

1:03:21. Genetics x environment re obesity crisis 

1:05:58. Hadza don’t mix CHO and fat foods 

1:07:52. Components that may play a role in the constrained energy model 

1:12:41. Outro (9 seconds)

Inside Exercise brings to you the who's who of exercise metabolism, exercise physiology and exercise’s effects on health. With scientific rigor, these researchers discuss popular exercise topics while providing practical strategies for all.  

The interviewer, Emeritus Professor Glenn McConell, has an international research profile following 30 years of Exercise Metabolism research experience while at The University of Melbourne, Ball State University, Monash University, the University of Copenhagen and Victoria University.  

He has published over 120 peer reviewed journal articles and recently edited an Exercise Metabolism eBook written by world experts on 17 different topics (https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-94305-9).

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