HAP and Trade-Offs

What are trade-offs often masked by?

Variation in resource acquisition

What is an analogy of trade-offs being masked by variation in resource acquisition?

Trade-offs in finance because if you spend more on your house, you spend less on your car. But in a population those with expensive houses have expensive cars meaning we don’t see the trade-off as it’s masked but it is still there

How can trade-offs be observed?

In ultramarathons

Why are ultramarathons used to observe trade-offs?

As they drive and unmask trade-offs due to the negative energy balance they induce

What do ultramarathons induce?

An energy deficit which provokes functional trade-offs to reveal hierarchy of functional preservation

What is an example of an ultramarathon studied?

The North Downs Way 100-miler (UK)

What were the results of studying the North Downs Way?

• Weight loss

• Reduced testosterone and arousal

• Increased haemolytic complement assay and bacterial killing assay

What is the ongoing work in HAP?

• 4 ultramarathons each with different climate conditions

• One in Finland = cold -20 degrees

• One in Spain = hot and dry = air temperature of 47 degrees

• One in amazon = hot and humid

• One in the Himalayas = high altitude

• To see how altering environments affect trade-offs

AND:

• Ocean rowing events = weeks and months long rather than days

• The Polar Row 2017 = started in Svalbard and went as far north as possible to reach polar ice cap then to Iceland

• Very cold (in summer as it would've been dark in winter)

• Crew lost 1kg per day (14 day total expedition)