Re: [Paddlewise] Tragedy in Sweden

From: Michael Daly <mikedaly_at_magma.ca>
Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2007 12:38:08 -0400
Eri Ceas wrote:

> this means i have a low body mass with high
> surface area to radiate heat. warmth just gets sucked out of me at a much
> faster rate than my friends.
>           people like this also tend to have higher metabolic rates which
> may mean they lose heat even faster and burn up their bodies energy reserves
> even quicker ...

But at the same time, your fitness level means that your ability to 
control blood flow to the outer tissues is better.  At the extreme, your 
body will limit flow to the extremities and skin surface.  Those who are 
out of shape and have a lot of body fat will not do this effectively, 
negating any insulation value in the fat, since the blood carries heat 
from the core quite well.  That is why overweight people get ruddy faced 
in cold, while lean, fit people are pale.

When it comes to stretching out survival in cold water, fitness beats fat.

Mike
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Received on Thu Mar 29 2007 - 09:38:25 PDT

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