Technology Review - Published By MIT
Advertisement

TR Editors' blog

Insights, opinions, and our editors' analysis of the latest in emerging technologies.

Blog Topics

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

  • rgrem : Great work!  You suggested reading the original article.  Can you provide a URL?  ADHD literature...
  • ... : Checked out the video, looks like a derivative of Pranav Mistry's Sixth sense technology.
  • digger : Thank you for the good work you have done.  I'm very interested in learning more about neural...
  • digger : Archie, I'm sorry you feel the way you do about the use of Ritalin for the treatment of ADHD.  I...
  • ... : A couple of things could be happening here. You could be upset that these professionals are...
Advertisement
Thursday, February 04, 2010

Why Weight Loss Is Easier at High Altitude

Research suggests that high altitudes suppress appetite and increase metabolism.
By Emily Singer

Want to drop a few pounds on your next vacation? Head for the mountains, the taller the better.

Researchers from Germany studied 20 obese men both at low altitude in Munich and while spending a week at 8700 feet, in a field station near the peak of Germany's highest mountain, Zugspitze. Participants lost an average of two pounds that week and kept it off for the next month, without making any changes in diet or activity levels. During their high altitude stay, the men were given unrestricted access to food and restricted to short walks.

The researchers found that basal metabolism increased at high altitude, though it's not clear why. Levels of leptin, a hormone known to suppress hunger, also increased, perhaps in response to decreased oxygen. Participants ate less, even after symptoms of altitude sickness had disappeared. And they continued to eat less after returning to Munich, at least during the four week follow-up period of the study. The research was published this month in the journal Obesity.



Comments

  • a probable explanation
    Metabolism goes up at high altitudes because you need to take more breaths per minute to get the same amount of oxygen. That (together with the typically drier air at high altitudes) is also why you need to drink more water at high altitudes -- because you lose water vapor from your lungs each time you exhale.
    Rate this comment: 12345

    pmdulaney
    02/05/2010
    Posts:2
    Avg Rating:
    5/5

Log In

Advertisement
Advertisement
MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology CyberMedia © 2010 Technology Review. All Rights Reserved.