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Little kids burn so much energy, they’re like a different species, study finds

sciencemag.org

81–90 of 118 posts

Re: Little kids burn so much energy, they’re like a different species, study finds

#81

> But children also burn out fast. This is well known in emergency medicine. Not only do kids burn out quick, they also burn out completely because they, unlike adults, don't keep a reserve. This applies to homeostasis, too. Consequently: young trauma victims that "look OK" need to be very closely attended to, because what you might be seeing is a kid burning the very last of their energy reserves just to maintain ho…

Thanks for posting that information. Another thing to keep in mind with infants/very young children is that if they get diarrhea, they can lose 30% of their weight (mostly water) in 2-3 days and die without hospitalization. So that means waiting a reasonable time for improvement at home can actually kill them. (I don't know how that kind of illness affects their future development.)

Same with cats! It's a common reason why many house plants which are toxic to cats are potentially fatal. They die of dehydration, not strictly poisoning.

Re: Little kids burn so much energy, they’re like a different species, study finds

#82

> But children also burn out fast. This is well known in emergency medicine. Not only do kids burn out quick, they also burn out completely because they, unlike adults, don't keep a reserve. This applies to homeostasis, too. Consequently: young trauma victims that "look OK" need to be very closely attended to, because what you might be seeing is a kid burning the very last of their energy reserves just to maintain ho…

This is very important for any water related activities: many kids drowned because of this. Jumping, screaming and laughing in the water - the next moment gone. You have to pay attention. I do not mean, being overprotective, just pay really attention to them and you should notice, when they are about to reach their limits.

Very true. With two kids in the pool you have to be like one of those auto-tipping novelty birds: you check, you look away at something else, YOU CHECK, you have a splash and a look at the sky, YOU CHECK ...

Re: Little kids burn so much energy, they’re like a different species, study finds

#83
post #71
post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Must have been bad- the normal recommendation for norovirus is to avoid hospital because it's so infectious. e.g. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/norovirus/ That's what isolation wards are for, I suppose.

my 2yo was dehydrated and on IV because of that, too. not uncommon for the smallest kids.

A noro or rotavirus ripped through my 2 years olds daycare recently, and in a couple classrooms (including my kid), tons of kids got sick as well as teachers, but did not hear of any hospitalizations.

The first evening was brutal though. 6 hours of drink, vomit, eat, vomit, drink, vomit, etc. My kid easily threw up 20+ times.

Re: Little kids burn so much energy, they’re like a different species, study finds

#84
post #76
post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Without more details if be inclined to blame "almost identical" as the culprit (not an expert): Why? I mean, why do people find the idea of older people needing different diet due to body changes related to age so unbelievable? There are many changes related to age - how quickly injuries heal, how quickly you recover from something physical or tiring, how much or well you sleep. Your heartrate is slowly changing wi…

> Experience of "I stopped exercising and keep eating the same, I gained a lot of weight" is not rare. It's not rare because calories add up immensely quickly. Say that you were burning 200 kcal per day exercising - and that is a low estimate. If you keep eating the same, you end up keeping 6000 kcal per month more - that translates to 1.7 lbs of body weight - per month. So, 20 lbs in the first year!

So the claim is, that simultaneously: 1.) when you stop exercising, it does a lot for weight. 2.) If you start exercising, it does nothing for weight loss.

Re: Little kids burn so much energy, they’re like a different species, study finds

#85

> But children also burn out fast. This is well known in emergency medicine. Not only do kids burn out quick, they also burn out completely because they, unlike adults, don't keep a reserve. This applies to homeostasis, too. Consequently: young trauma victims that "look OK" need to be very closely attended to, because what you might be seeing is a kid burning the very last of their energy reserves just to maintain ho…

This is very important for any water related activities: many kids drowned because of this. Jumping, screaming and laughing in the water - the next moment gone. You have to pay attention. I do not mean, being overprotective, just pay really attention to them and you should notice, when they are about to reach their limits.

Very good point. My boys are 11 and 9, I can count 3 times I’ve gone in fully clothed with phone/wallet in pocket to pull them out of a pool after getting in trouble. For them, it was panicking when getting in over their head ( heh no pun intended). Panicking in deep water is bad news.

Edit: I distinctly remember one time being at a party surrounded by adults but the only one noticing the emergency. It’s like when a kid gets in trouble with water they become almost invisible… it’s very strange.

Re: Little kids burn so much energy, they’re like a different species, study finds

#86
post #11

Personally, I was more surprised by the various groups of people who _don't_ have higher metabolic rates: > Children’s metabolic rates stay high until age 5, but the rate slowly begins to glide down until it plateaus around age 20. Interestingly, adult rates are stable until age 60, when they begin to decline. After age 90, humans use about 26% less energy daily, Pontzer says. > The study also found that pregnant wom…

This seems almost unbelievable to me. Almost everyone I know, with a handful of exceptions I can think of, had a dramatic change in what I can only say was metabolism at 30 declining steeply to 40. I can tell you personally my ability to lose weight when exercising daily has decreased significantly since 30. If it’s not metabolism, then what? Diet and exercise are almost identical.

> Diet and exercise are almost identical.

What about everyday motions? At 50, I push myself gently up from my chair, while 25 year old coworkers leap up. They walk faster, they simply move with more energy through the day. Such things add up over the course of a day/week/month/year/decade.

Re: Little kids burn so much energy, they’re like a different species, study finds

#87
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This seems almost unbelievable to me. Almost everyone I know, with a handful of exceptions I can think of, had a dramatic change in what I can only say was metabolism at 30 declining steeply to 40. I can tell you personally my ability to lose weight when exercising daily has decreased significantly since 30. If it’s not metabolism, then what? Diet and exercise are almost identical.

That’s because nobody knows anything about how our bodies burn energy, just like the article says, and the use of the term metabolism is complete pseudoscience to convey a misunderstood abstract concept.

Yes. Broad claims in biology and to the left in this xkcd are super suspect.

https://xkcd.com/435/

Re: Little kids burn so much energy, they’re like a different species, study finds

#88
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This seems almost unbelievable to me. Almost everyone I know, with a handful of exceptions I can think of, had a dramatic change in what I can only say was metabolism at 30 declining steeply to 40. I can tell you personally my ability to lose weight when exercising daily has decreased significantly since 30. If it’s not metabolism, then what? Diet and exercise are almost identical.

> Diet and exercise are almost identical. What about everyday motions? At 50, I push myself gently up from my chair, while 25 year old coworkers leap up. They walk faster, they simply move with more energy through the day. Such things add up over the course of a day/week/month/year/decade.

They do, and I've lived that. Sincere advice: force yourself to stand up without any assistance from your arms. I had a knee issue for a couple of years, and got into that very habit -- at first out of necessity. Before long it was required. It took about a month (!) to build back up the core strength to stand normally again.

Your core strength will decline quickly, and soon you will have to help yourself up all the time. Don't let the slide happen.

Re: Little kids burn so much energy, they’re like a different species, study finds

#89

Seems pretty dumb to talk about them having fast metabolisms and brains all this other forest-for-the-trees. They are going to double their body mass over a year. See how much energy you need if you try that

15 months old infants do not double their body mass in a year. That takes about 4-5 years.

Re: Little kids burn so much energy, they’re like a different species, study finds

#90
post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is very important for any water related activities: many kids drowned because of this. Jumping, screaming and laughing in the water - the next moment gone. You have to pay attention. I do not mean, being overprotective, just pay really attention to them and you should notice, when they are about to reach their limits.

Very good point. My boys are 11 and 9, I can count 3 times I’ve gone in fully clothed with phone/wallet in pocket to pull them out of a pool after getting in trouble. For them, it was panicking when getting in over their head ( heh no pun intended). Panicking in deep water is bad news. Edit: I distinctly remember one time being at a party surrounded by adults but the only one noticing the emergency. It’s like when a…

Drowning doesn't look like drowning.

https://www.watersafetymagazine.com/drowning-doesnt-look-lik...

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