Did you know a hunter-gatherer burns the same calories each day as a sedentary North American? Evolutionary biologist Herman Pontzer is here to change the way you think about food, exercise and life.

Why does exercise not tackle obesity? Do more active people have faster metabolisms? Why do so many diets lead to more weight gain? What can we learn from traditional cultures about so-called ‘diseases of civilisation’?

Evolutionary biologist Herman Pontzer has spent twenty years conducting ground-breaking research studies into the science of metabolism. Now he joins How To Academy for a myth-busting tour of this vital system, exploring the ways it influences every aspect of our health – from fertility to immune function. And you’ll discover why exercise does not increase our metabolic rate – and what this means for effective weight loss.

He says: ‘Everything our bodies do— growing moving, healing, reproducing— is the work of the metabolism. Knowing how our energy is spent is the foundational step in understanding how our bodies work. And yet, despite its importance for life and health, metabolism (the way our bodies burn energy) is badly and almost universally misunderstood.’

Challenging the consensus of the dieting and exercise industries and offering new scientific insights with the potential to transform how you think about your health, weight and fitness, is an unmissable opportunity to understand how our bodies work and what this means for how we live our lives.

Praise for Herman Pontzer’s Burn: The Misunderstood Science of Metabolism:

“Burn will make you question what you think you know about metabolism and your waistline” — Stephan Guyenet, PhD, author of The Hungry Brain

“Burn is science writing at its best… will reshape what you thought you knew about how our metabolisms work” — Alex Hutchinson, New York Times bestselling author of Endure

“A fun, fast-paced, eye-opening, and innovative book that will revolutionize how you think about the energy that fuels your body and everything you do” — Daniel E. Lieberman, author of Exercised and The Story of the Human Body

“Herman Pontzer is one of the most gifted science writers of our time” — Kelly McGonigal, PhD, author of The Joy of Movement

“Pontzer’s findings have huge implications for our attitudes to exercise, diet and public health” — Mark Webster ― Sunday Times