Burn: The Misunderstood Science of Metabolism
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- Create Date：2021-04-30 11:51:36
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Herman Pontzer
- ISBN：0241388422
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Summary
A myth-busting tour of the body's hidden foundations from a pioneering evolutionary biologist
Over the past twenty years， evolutionary biologist Herman Pontzer has conducted ground-breaking studies across a range of settings， including pioneering fieldwork with Hadza hunter-gatherers in northern Tanzania。
This book draws on his eye-opening research to show how， contrary to received wisdom， exercise does not increase our metabolism。 Instead， we burn calories within a very narrow range: nearly 3，000 calories per day， no matter our activity level。
By taking a closer look at what happens to the energy we consume， Pontzer explores the ways in which metabolism controls every aspect of our health - from fertility to immune function - and reveals the truth about the dynamic system that sustains us。 Filled with facts and memorable anecdotes， Burn will change the way you think about food， exercise and life。
Over the past twenty years， evolutionary biologist Herman Pontzer has conducted ground-breaking studies across a range of settings， including pioneering fieldwork with Hadza hunter-gatherers in northern Tanzania。
This book draws on his eye-opening research to show how， contrary to received wisdom， exercise does not increase our metabolism。 Instead， we burn calories within a very narrow range: nearly 3，000 calories per day， no matter our activity level。
By taking a closer look at what happens to the energy we consume， Pontzer explores the ways in which metabolism controls every aspect of our health - from fertility to immune function - and reveals the truth about the dynamic system that sustains us。 Filled with facts and memorable anecdotes， Burn will change the way you think about food， exercise and life。
Reviews
CCT
，
Really good book， with lot's of really interesting and fascinating information。 I found the book to be really engaging and informative。 Highly recommend。 Really good book， with lot's of really interesting and fascinating information。 I found the book to be really engaging and informative。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Jenny Lemker
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This book caught my eye because I have understood for a long time that metabolism is more nuanced than what the author calls “the armchair engineer” approach， but felt confused by the multitude conflicting nutrition and health opinions out there。 It definitely deepened my understanding of evidence-based human metabolism and health， and what our bodies expect from us through an evolutionary lens。
Mehul
，
I first listened to Herman Pontzer explain the implications of his work on the Science of Ultra podcast。 It inspired me to delve deeper into his published work。 Before I knew it however he was back on the podcast to promote the release of this book。 I eagerly ordered it to my local library and sit thoroughly impressed after my first read through; the book clearly lays out the paradigm shifting state of play in metabolism science that the author and his colleagues have brought about。 I hope the b I first listened to Herman Pontzer explain the implications of his work on the Science of Ultra podcast。 It inspired me to delve deeper into his published work。 Before I knew it however he was back on the podcast to promote the release of this book。 I eagerly ordered it to my local library and sit thoroughly impressed after my first read through; the book clearly lays out the paradigm shifting state of play in metabolism science that the author and his colleagues have brought about。 I hope the book furthers our collective understanding of our relationship with energy and food as much as it did for me personally。 。。。more
Liz
，
So much to learn on so many levels！ Author's sense of humour， speckled throughout， creates levity to a topic that， while we know intuitively， focusses our attention to: if you want to lose weight， reduce the calories you eat。 The extensive research， explanations， tables and charts required a slower and more deliberate read， but that's what makes this book more of a reference than a quick fix about diets and metabolism。What I loved the most was when the author was asked by the Hadza， "How does mu So much to learn on so many levels！ Author's sense of humour， speckled throughout， creates levity to a topic that， while we know intuitively， focusses our attention to: if you want to lose weight， reduce the calories you eat。 The extensive research， explanations， tables and charts required a slower and more deliberate read， but that's what makes this book more of a reference than a quick fix about diets and metabolism。What I loved the most was when the author was asked by the Hadza， "How does music get into the radio？" As he tried to explain how it worked he realized that one only truly understands something when one can explain things in the most simplest of terms。 Basically， don't assume that everyone understands the language you use to explain something。 And the author's approach to writing this book reflects that！ Record notes in the margins， add sticky notes and mark passages because you just might want to revisit a page or two！ Or three or four！ 。。。more
Wendy Wang
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I was curious about the topic but the way it was presented was too dry for me。 Gets a bit repetitive as well。 I can tell the author is passionate about the subject though。
Cornelius
，
In einem Satz: beschreibt Herman Pontzer die Nutzung und Nutzbarmachung von Energie， hauptsächlich Nahrung， aber auch darüber hinaus， durch den Menschen vergleichend mit seinen stammesbäumlichen Verwandten aus einer evolutionsbiologisch-anthropologischen Perspektive。 Mit durchweg interessanten Anekdoten aus der eigenen Feldforschung einleitend， erklärt Pontzer in einfacher Sprache， aber nie unterkomplex und mit vielen Fakten unterfüttert， den menschlichen Stoffwechsel， begonnen mit den biochemis In einem Satz: beschreibt Herman Pontzer die Nutzung und Nutzbarmachung von Energie， hauptsächlich Nahrung， aber auch darüber hinaus， durch den Menschen vergleichend mit seinen stammesbäumlichen Verwandten aus einer evolutionsbiologisch-anthropologischen Perspektive。 Mit durchweg interessanten Anekdoten aus der eigenen Feldforschung einleitend， erklärt Pontzer in einfacher Sprache， aber nie unterkomplex und mit vielen Fakten unterfüttert， den menschlichen Stoffwechsel， begonnen mit den biochemischen Grundlagen， über die individuelle Energetik in Alltag und Sport， bis hin zum Kollektiv， mündend in einer globalen Betrachtung der Generierung und Nutzung von Energie。 Eine Besonderheit an diesem Buch ist， dass vieles selbst dem belesenen Leser neu sein wird， da hier ein Forscher über seine eigenen Entdeckungen berichtet （natürlich nicht nur）， anders als viele Ernährungs- und Lifestyle-Bücher zu denen „Burn“ im weiten Sinne bestimmt gezählt werden kann。Sicher hätte man sich einige Wiederholungen sparen können， aber sie waren für mich persönlich nie störend， oft sogar willkommen， und ermöglichen， das Buch auch alinear gut zu lesen。Einziger Wermutstropfen für die Wissenschaftlichkeit des Buches ist die （fast） durchgängige Verwendung imperialen anstatt des metrischen Systems， was aber leider üblich bei populärwissenschaftlichen Werken ist。 。。。more
Sarah Carr
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Right up my street。 Fascinating stuff and I like the accessible style。
Debra
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I had such high hopes for this book。 Had to sift through much information （ honestly though interesting， I skimmed a lot of it） to locate what I wanted。 About 15，000 steps to maintain weight， eat less than 2，000 calories （ more like 1500 or less） to lose weight。
Shilpa Nagarajan
，
As a metabolic physiologist myself， it’s hard to find popular science books about nutrition/metabolism that isn’t just complete and utter bullshit。 This was brilliant， and I thoroughly enjoyed the evolutionary / anthropological aspect to the book that I hope can feed back into my own research。 Extremely well written， clever metaphors to simplify complicated science and amazing anecdotes about doing field research with animals and with the Hadza people of Tanzania。
Nadya
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4 stars because the main thesis about constrained energy expenditure is enlightening。It's fascinating that people who exercise all day burn the same number of calories as sedentary people。 Exercise plays virtually no role in weight loss but is still vital for health。 The dieting part though left me frustrated。 He accuses nutritionists of being condescending yet does the same thing。 Attacks Gary Taubes and low carb diets， but sounds like he never even read his work。 Taubes addresses many of his a 4 stars because the main thesis about constrained energy expenditure is enlightening。It's fascinating that people who exercise all day burn the same number of calories as sedentary people。 Exercise plays virtually no role in weight loss but is still vital for health。 The dieting part though left me frustrated。 He accuses nutritionists of being condescending yet does the same thing。 Attacks Gary Taubes and low carb diets， but sounds like he never even read his work。 Taubes addresses many of his arguments in the very introduction to his main book。 Pontzner could still be right， he just doesn't inspire confidence with the evidence provided combined with the condescending tone。 。。。more
Erika
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3。5 stars。 Pretty good book about how calorie burning in the body actually works。 Kind of dragged on in places though。 I learned a lot！
Elizabeth
，
Herman Pontzer includes lots of fun， interesting tidbits in Burn， like how pregnancy takes more energy than hiking the Appalachian Trail。 I read this because I enjoyed listening to Pontzer's interview on The Science of Ultra podcast， and there was plenty here to keep me interested from the perspective of someone who likes endurance sports and enjoys reading about how homo sapiens evolved。I'm not sure I would like this much if I was trying to lose weight， though。 Pontzer's message is a simple one Herman Pontzer includes lots of fun， interesting tidbits in Burn， like how pregnancy takes more energy than hiking the Appalachian Trail。 I read this because I enjoyed listening to Pontzer's interview on The Science of Ultra podcast， and there was plenty here to keep me interested from the perspective of someone who likes endurance sports and enjoys reading about how homo sapiens evolved。I'm not sure I would like this much if I was trying to lose weight， though。 Pontzer's message is a simple one -- eat fewer calories， and expect to do so for a long time， because your body is always going to fight to get back to its previous weight。 The advice seems sound， but also a bit dispiriting。 But if you want to know why you're not losing weight even though you're exercising， or why you can't keep off the weight you lost， Pontzer will explain why。 I think he's less helpful in telling you what to do about it， though， other than to eat less and keep moving。Overall， Burn is well-written， even though Pontzer sometimes sounds like he's narrating a NOVA special。 （"Finding the answer would take us to zoos and primate sanctuaries across the globe， uncovering the evolutionary changes in metabolism that made 'normal' life so extraordinary。"） And the jokes are sometimes not as funny as Pontzer thinks （there was one about the two Congos that， while likely accurate， I thought wasn't in good taste or especially relevant to the book）。 But it was a quick， easy， interesting read， and I look forward to reading about Pontzer's future research。Update （4-20-21）: Before I return this to the library， I forgot to mention I particularly liked this paragraph， which ponders whether our dream of finding human-like life among the stars is connected to ancient times when we were not the only "humans" on the plant: "As our Homo sapiens ancestors expanded throughout Arica and across the globe， they found they weren't alone。 The world was already full of strange and wonderful humanlike species， their evolutionary cousins: Neanderthals in Europe， Denisovans in central Asia， relict populations of Homo erectus in Asia， an erectus-like species in southern Africa called Homo naledi， and a miniaturized species called Homo floresiensis， nicknamed the Hobbit by paleoanthropologists， in the islands of Indonesia。 The modern science fiction fantasy of meeting some almost-human in a distant realm， communicating， living with them， played out again and again in the Paleolithic wilderness。" 。。。more
Matt
，
Pontzer frequently digresses into memoir-esque stories about his own personal adventures， which would be distracting enough from the content of the book if they weren't jam packed with his personal opinions and forced / corny jokes。As for the content of the parts that actually discuss the science of metabolism， the parts that talk about doubly labeled water and the new insights Pontzer and his colleagues have come up with， it's interesting enough。 However， Pontzer constantly impugns the research Pontzer frequently digresses into memoir-esque stories about his own personal adventures， which would be distracting enough from the content of the book if they weren't jam packed with his personal opinions and forced / corny jokes。As for the content of the parts that actually discuss the science of metabolism， the parts that talk about doubly labeled water and the new insights Pontzer and his colleagues have come up with， it's interesting enough。 However， Pontzer constantly impugns the research others have found with large scope research that focuses on wide cross sections of humans and then asserts that such evidence disproves a variety of diet modification strategies。 Then later， he blithely mentions that there is more complexity than the calories in / calories out simplification he underlines （he mentions that some kinds of fats seem to be handled differently by our body than others， but briskly moves on from the implications that individual variation and macronutrient composition may indeed play important roles）。Beyond these epistemic oversights， he also fails to mention any of the controversy surrounding Ancel Keys' work on the diet-heart-hypothesis and moves on quickly from the topic to continue carping about the superiority of his own views and how they are compatible with Keys'。That would all be enough on its own， but most of the last 10-20% of the book is given over to a discussion about modern society and climate change and his particular prescriptions for fixing the ills of affluence as well as climate change with little respect to the fact that both of these fields have a deep well of scholarship which is not his particular expertise and that his particular opinions on this seem quite thinly informed。 。。。more
Trace Nichols
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Calories in - calories out theory。 No food restrictive diets work。 Exercise won't help you burn away more than you would。 Basically we are who we are。 Not sure I buy into everything he purports。 Much of his science is from data collected from a hunter-gatherer people called the Hadza who lead （and have always led） a very different lifestyle than people of western civilizations。 They are too limiting to have the big reveal ah-ha moments that then apply to all the human race。 Calories in - calories out theory。 No food restrictive diets work。 Exercise won't help you burn away more than you would。 Basically we are who we are。 Not sure I buy into everything he purports。 Much of his science is from data collected from a hunter-gatherer people called the Hadza who lead （and have always led） a very different lifestyle than people of western civilizations。 They are too limiting to have the big reveal ah-ha moments that then apply to all the human race。 。。。more
MaryAnn
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I didn't read this book word-for-word， but I got the gist: it's still about calories in vs calories out。 That's a very simplified version of a scientific study about the evolution of humans and how we gain or lose weight， keep fit and strong， and age well。 I didn't read this book word-for-word， but I got the gist: it's still about calories in vs calories out。 That's a very simplified version of a scientific study about the evolution of humans and how we gain or lose weight， keep fit and strong， and age well。 。。。more
Zhuo Zhang
，
A great nonfiction science book tackling the confusing topic of weight loss， metabolism and exercises。 First the author introduces the concepts very clearly and lays the foundation to understand the relationship in later chapters。 The charts and graphs definitely help a lot！ So metabolism is not fixed， and it could evolve and is evolving according to the energy intake and exercises energy consumption。 Exercises cannot cause weight loss but can maintain weight loss。 Exercises are important becaus A great nonfiction science book tackling the confusing topic of weight loss， metabolism and exercises。 First the author introduces the concepts very clearly and lays the foundation to understand the relationship in later chapters。 The charts and graphs definitely help a lot！ So metabolism is not fixed， and it could evolve and is evolving according to the energy intake and exercises energy consumption。 Exercises cannot cause weight loss but can maintain weight loss。 Exercises are important because it lifts our mood， clears our head and strengthens our body。 （and I believe at the same time， strengthens our mental power as well）。 This is the most comprehensive and informative book on health。 The other books mentioned by the author are Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding， Endure: Mind， Body， and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance and Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human。 。。。more
MarmottanReads
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This is science heavy but really well explained。 I learned a lot about metabolism and diet， and this is def one to keep and come back to。
Ben
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Excellent book in an area that is just recently beginning to be understood。 This book is NOT a diet book and therefore doesn't give you a specific diet plan。 It does tell you that a healthy diet consists whole foods （not processed）， low in saturated fats， and not too many of them。 The author describes in detail how the human （and mammalian） metabolism work。 This is fascinating research into how humans burn their kilocals and there are several startling revelations detailed in the book。 A great r Excellent book in an area that is just recently beginning to be understood。 This book is NOT a diet book and therefore doesn't give you a specific diet plan。 It does tell you that a healthy diet consists whole foods （not processed）， low in saturated fats， and not too many of them。 The author describes in detail how the human （and mammalian） metabolism work。 This is fascinating research into how humans burn their kilocals and there are several startling revelations detailed in the book。 A great read into a useful area。 。。。more
James
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Didnt really give you any hacks on metabolism and basically stated you can’t change much about yourself， disappointing
Ramakant Pande
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Great insight into metabolism， especially that energy for the process is more or less constant and body only mostly diverts it from one process where it is least required to that where it is required the most。 This book is a very intelligent work and has successfully thrown popular beliefs into oblivion。
Alan
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Some good， some tedium， quite a bit of repetition。 Takeaway: no， paleo diets aren’t what hunter-gatherers follow。 No， you can’t exercise away a diet of excess calories。 Your energy output is constrained， and calculated effects of exercise won’t result in linear results in fat burning。 Close to Lieberman， who was his thesis advisor。
Latiffany
，
For years my exercise routine consisted of waking up at 5:00 a。m。 to walk four miles or attend a cardio class。 Over the years， my weight crept up and by the end of 2019， I was thirty pounds overweight。 I decided to approach losing the weight by focusing on nutrition。 I still worked out daily， but I overhauled my diet， focused on portions， and developed the mindset that this is how I wanted to eat for the rest of my life。 I didn't cut out any food groups or try popular diets。 I focused on eating For years my exercise routine consisted of waking up at 5:00 a。m。 to walk four miles or attend a cardio class。 Over the years， my weight crept up and by the end of 2019， I was thirty pounds overweight。 I decided to approach losing the weight by focusing on nutrition。 I still worked out daily， but I overhauled my diet， focused on portions， and developed the mindset that this is how I wanted to eat for the rest of my life。 I didn't cut out any food groups or try popular diets。 I focused on eating nutritious foods that kept me full and satiated。 I've lost forty pounds and for the most part， I feel amazing。 In addition to eating well， I read articles， books and watch videos about nutrition。 That is how I found out about this book。Herman Ponzter explains in detail with science to back his claims， what I figured out through trial and error。 Exercise is wonderful for the body。 There are so many benefits to be gained from exercise-even mild exercise， such as a daily walk around your neighborhood。 However， exercise does not automatically result in weight loss。 There are portions of this book that are a bit technical and exposed me to facts about the brain and the intricacies of the metabolism that I really didn't need to know。 Overall， I do think that the language and terms are accessible to readers that believe in science， but aren't very interested in every single detail。 I read a mild criticism about the ending of the book。 Pontzer steps away from the inner workings of the digestive tract and discusses how the world around us fits into what we eat， how much we eat， why we eat and the consequences of stuffing ourselves with processed food。 I find no issue with raising questions about the cost of potato chips versus the cost of an apple。 I think it blends in perfectly。 This is a good read and I strongly recommend it。 。。。more
Clark B。 Herring
，
One of the best non fiction books I have ever read。 The author covers wide range of subjects and reminds me of Bill Bryson except that he is a better writer， I know that Bill Bryson is a very， very good writer。 I came for the analysis of different dieting strategies and stayed for the discussion about how human bodies turn food into calories， the metabolic pathways and a discusion how human metabolisms differ from other mammals and other apes。 The other topics include how humans and our nearest One of the best non fiction books I have ever read。 The author covers wide range of subjects and reminds me of Bill Bryson except that he is a better writer， I know that Bill Bryson is a very， very good writer。 I came for the analysis of different dieting strategies and stayed for the discussion about how human bodies turn food into calories， the metabolic pathways and a discusion how human metabolisms differ from other mammals and other apes。 The other topics include how humans and our nearest relatives burn calories and their relative life scale versus other mammals。 He then dives into a discussion of evolution and its probable effect on our metabolism。 He ended up discussing the effect of exercise on our metabolism， as well as how true endurance athletes metabolize energy。 I know that this sounds like a lot but it was extremely well organized and the topics flowed naturally。 。。。more
Laura McDougall
，
If you're looking for an insightful new weight loss plan， then this is not the book for you。 In fact， it's pretty much bad news on the weight loss front， because bodies have biologically obvious reasons to set calorie burn limits and our economically driven society doesn't want you to be satiated。 It wants you eat more， because that means buy more。 The take-away is eat whole foods and move lots and avoid weight gain in the first place。 It's really hard not to walk away from this book feeling har If you're looking for an insightful new weight loss plan， then this is not the book for you。 In fact， it's pretty much bad news on the weight loss front， because bodies have biologically obvious reasons to set calorie burn limits and our economically driven society doesn't want you to be satiated。 It wants you eat more， because that means buy more。 The take-away is eat whole foods and move lots and avoid weight gain in the first place。 It's really hard not to walk away from this book feeling hard done by， and so， so mad at society。 On the other hand， for everyone who tried to manage their weight and found the calorie in-calorie out mantra basically useless， this book has a practical and logical explanation for that experience。 We're not weak， we're human。 We're human in an environment we created that's hostile to our own biological needs。I appreciated the perspective shift， considering all our modern conveniences as outsourced or externalised calorie burn。 It sheds a whole new light on sustainability for our planet and sustainability for humans in their every day lives。 This book is funny， challenging， weirdly beautiful and in some parts， haunting AF。 。。。more
Chris Boutté
，
I've always struggled with my weight， but during my 8-year drug addiction， I put on over 200 lbs。 I've been sober for 8。5 years， and I've been struggling to take the weight off。 Something that drives me nuts is all of the non-scientific contradictory information about diet and exercise out there， so I decided to check out this book from Herman Pontzer。 I must say that Pontzer did an incredible job with this book， and I think it's perfect for a wide range of readers。 I'm more of a psychology guy I've always struggled with my weight， but during my 8-year drug addiction， I put on over 200 lbs。 I've been sober for 8。5 years， and I've been struggling to take the weight off。 Something that drives me nuts is all of the non-scientific contradictory information about diet and exercise out there， so I decided to check out this book from Herman Pontzer。 I must say that Pontzer did an incredible job with this book， and I think it's perfect for a wide range of readers。 I'm more of a psychology guy than a biology guy， but Pontzer was able to break down how the body functions in a simple way。 There are still a few concepts I may need to go back and revisit， but his overall thesis was easy to grasp。 What I really enjoyed about this book was how the author dispelled a lot of myths about diets， exercise， metabolism， and more。 My only critique is at the end of this book， I personally didn't leave with many solutions， but that's not what this book was about。 Fortunately， Herman replied to me on Twitter and recommended some other great books that I can check out。 。。。more
Naythan
，
Engaging， insightful， educational and at times amusingEven as a non-academic this book is a fantastic read and exceptionally insightful。 As a lifelong exerciser I， along with the vast proportion of the planet misunderstood exercise， metabolism & energy， not any more， I will no longer be attempting to out-train my consumption。
Rubrum Cato
，
Excellent book on human metabolism and the constrained energy hypothesis。 Talks in layman terms with lot of anecdotes about the Hadza。
Marie
，
I was very interested in the science behind obesity and the links to the past。 I was looking for a way to address this issue， but found no help except exercising and possibly whole foods with little light shone on outcomes。 I was perplexed by a few pages near the end which seemed to rant on Global Warming and energy consumption， but enjoyed it for the science of metabolism anyway。
Ali
，
A fun， authoritative & witty guide to the latest science of metabolism， exercise & weight lossHave you ever slept just a few hundred yards from a pride of hungry lions to gather data， with just a thin nylon tent between you and becoming breakfast？ Herman Pontzer has。 In "Burn"， he lives to tell the tale of trying to keep up with bafflingly badass Hadza hunter-gatherers and steel-livered Georgian paleoanthropololgists。 The result is a masterwork of popular science writing: authoritative yet acces A fun， authoritative & witty guide to the latest science of metabolism， exercise & weight lossHave you ever slept just a few hundred yards from a pride of hungry lions to gather data， with just a thin nylon tent between you and becoming breakfast？ Herman Pontzer has。 In "Burn"， he lives to tell the tale of trying to keep up with bafflingly badass Hadza hunter-gatherers and steel-livered Georgian paleoanthropololgists。 The result is a masterwork of popular science writing: authoritative yet accessible， iconoclastic， and funny as hell。The book is primarily about energy: the evolution of how humans acquire， use， and store it; the mechanisms for turning energy into work; how other animals do it differently; and how we sometimes thoughtlessly squander it。 In the process， he upends some popular myths about diet and exercise。For example， his research shows that the Hadza， who every day move around for ~4 hours and 15，000 steps， use the same amount of energy as couch-potato North Americans。 What？！？ How is this even possible？ I'm still wrapping my head around this， but the definitive double-labeled water experiments don't lie。 Humans have "constrained energy expenditure"， meaning that you only burn so many calories a day no matter what you do。 Our extremely effective "metabolic compensation" simply shifts calories around so we break even at the end of the day no matter how much we move。For practical purposes， this means that you basically can't lose weight through exercise。 Reducing caloric intake is the only way。 Nevertheless， the manifold health benefits of exercise still make it the single most healthful activity we can do， as Prof Pontzer takes pains to emphasize。I appreciate Pontzer's vivid prose with evocative imagery and analogies that even a 10-year old can understand。 I have no idea how he summarized all of college biochemistry in 2 pages while still making sense， but I'm sure glad he did。 I particularly laud his deft use of technical terms like "hooey"， "BS" and "poo"， sometimes when dispatching bad science and fad diets like Paleo， low-carb keto， and raw foodism into the rubbish bin of nonsense。 He's the anthropologist who's actually gathering the data in the African bush， freezing urine samples in liquid nitrogen and hauling them back。 Don't know about you， but I'm going to listen to working scientists with real data before armchair engineers， journalists， and self-styled diet gurus。Finally， it's been a while since I laughed out loud multiple times reading a science book。 The gleefully irreverent humor lives in the hangover poetry， the punny section titles （"Mitochondria and the O2 joy"， "It's alimentary， my dear Watson"）， and the Hadza language lessons。Out there， there's a lot of contradictory information on diet， exercise， and metabolism。 For literate primates who use energy and want to disentangle truth from speculation without having to confront hungry lions， Prof Pontzer has done us a great service in compiling all we need to know in one enjoyably informative package。 Read "Burn" to learn how your body really works。-- Ali Binazir， M。D。， M。Phil。， Happiness Engineer and author of The Tao of Dating: The Smart Woman's Guide to Being Absolutely Irresistible， the highest-rated dating book on Amazon， and Should I Go to Medical School？: An Irreverent Guide to the Pros and Cons of a Career in Medicine 。。。more
Lou
，