Evolutionary Anthropology (METABOLISM) with Herman Pontzer: Explore debunking dieting myths, mitochondrial backstories, flaws of the Body Mass Index, crash dieting's impact on metabolism, exercise for hunter gatherers, carnivore diets, and more with Professor Herman Pontzer, a metabolism researcher.

You hear a lot about metabolism. You probably know it has something to do with weight loss. And even if you don't go in for those supposed hacks around speeding up your metabolism, you likely figure you can at least increase it by exercising more.This isn't actually the case, and my guest will sort through this and other misconceptions around metabolism on today's show. His name is Dr. Herman Pontzer and he's a professor of evolutionary anthropology and the author of Burn: New Research Blows the Lid Off How We Really Burn Calories, Lose Weight, and Stay Healthy. We begin our conversation with an overview of how metabolism powers everything your body does from thinking to moving to simply existing, and how it uses the food you eat as the energy needed to fuel these processes. We then get into Herman's field research which shows that increasing your physical activity doesn't actually increase the number of calories you burn, but why it's still hugely important to exercise anyway. He also unpacks whether certain kinds of foods are better for your metabolism, offers his recommendations on how to use diet to lose weight, and answers the common question as to whether it's true that your metabolism goes down as you age.Resources Related to the PodcastAoM Podcast #691: What You Can (Really) Learn About Exercise from Your Human AncestorsAoM Podcast #552: How to Optimize Your MetabolismAoM Podcast #475: How to Lose Weight, and Keep It Off ForeverAoM Podcast #636: Why You Overeat and What to Do About ItNYT article on what happened to the metabolisms of Biggest Loser contestants after the showAoM Article: An Argument for Making Exercise (Not Diet) the Foundation of Weight ManagementConnect With Herman PontzerHerman on TwitterHerman's faculty page and lab at Duke

The podcast explores the science of exercise and dangers of inactivity. It discusses the importance of physical activity and challenges common beliefs about energy expenditure. The hosts discuss the balance between relaxation and productivity through leisure activities like ping pong and calisthenics. They also delve into the intricate balance between exercise and immune function, cautioning against over-training. Additionally, the benefits of outdoor calisthenics and embracing nature's workout are highlighted.

Herman Pontzer, an evolutionary biologist, discusses the constrained energy expenditure model, physical activity paradox, and why humans can expend so much energy in short time frames. The podcast challenges beliefs about calorie burn and activity levels, delves into evolutionary biology of energy balance, and explores the impact of physical activity on health and disease.

Herman Pontzer, an expert on energy expenditure, and Ted Naiman, a physician focused on nutrition, delve into fascinating insights on metabolism and diet. They discuss the drawbacks of relying heavily on exercise for weight loss and explore Pontzer's constrained model of energy expenditure. Naiman presents his protein to energy ratio diet, emphasizing the balance needed in protein intake. The duo also tackles how to raise metabolism by increasing caloric intake and highlights overlooked nutrients crucial for mitochondrial function.