Hi Robert, 
This anecdote and your question brought to mind an experience from my youth:


The first is when my father returned to Edmonton from almost a year of
working on the DEW (distance early warning) Line at the north coast of
Canada. I remember coming home from school in a parka, fleece lined
overshoes, and canvas pants over my regular pants. I was also wearing long
underwear.  Yet my father was sitting on the front porch, on a kitchen
chair, wearing trousers and a very thin undershirt  (I think they call them
body shirts now). We could see our breath in the air. The temperature was
well below zero (Farenheit) yet my father found it just too warm in the
house. I also remember that he blocked the heat vents and opened his window
quite wide when he slept. I couldn't understand it. 

Now, Almost 60 years later, I realize that he had become acclimatized to the
cold conditions where he was working. I also remember that he loved fats. He
told me that fats are what keep you warm in the winter and to avoid sweets
if I wanted to stay warm. It turns out that he understood the results of
changing pancreatic function according to dietary intake. Carbs cause
insulin secretion and fats cause glucagon secretion. Fats are also much more
energy dense, and hence, able to keep us warmer for longer than equivalent
carbohydrate intake. 

Some years later, I had a similar, though not as dramatic, experience. I was
working outside all day long, every day during the winter. When I got home,
I felt stifled by the heat indoors when everyone else was complaining about
it being chilly. I had to step outside for a few minutes just to cool off. 

Best Wishes, 
Ron



>
> A couple (few?) years ago there was a documentary ...While the host and  
> crew all had heavy parkas and mittens on - and appreared to be freezing  
> their butts off  - the "natives" wore lighweight sweaters and nothing on  
> their hands. It was explained that the herders' had adapted to their  
> environment by doubling (or even tripling) the number of capillaries in  
> their hands/arms. Better bloodflow, more transferred internal heat.

Are such adaptations genetic or environmental?  If the people in the crew  
lived there, and tried to dress like the native as much as possible, would  
they too develop this adaptation after some number of seasons?

--
   Robert Kesterson
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