WARM BLOODED AND SMART!

         An inability to store food energy in a portable fashion through built-in pantries is associated with poor long-term survival. Yet, being born human saddles us with two major obstacles that conspire to make fat storage difficult: one, being warm blooded, and two, having a big brain. A large energy demand is the price we pay for these characteristics. While that is true, our warm-bloodiness and big brains provide us with unique benefits. It is the balancing act between these costs and benefits that we must contend with. What is good in one situation can be detrimental in another. The warm-blooded state exists at the expense of a higher and more energetically costly metabolic rate, which means we need to burn more calories our entire life. When food is scarce, this can be a real problem. The trade-off is that by maintaining a higher stable temperature, all of the chemical reactions in the body run in a more predictable and well-coordinated fashion.

             Even during sleep a large brain consumes calories ten times faster than the rest of the body. This also puts us at risk during times of famine. But big brains have obvious advantages that make such a compromise worthwhile in the long run. Because of this, the brain is the first link in the brain-belly connection, the metabolic network that enables us to eat right, stay sharp, get thin, and live healthy lives.