re: Conceiving babies in winter means they are much less prone to being fat

quote:

---

Skinny people need to take more effort in the winter to stay warm, perhaps.

---

quote:

---

Of course, subcutaneous fat isn’t the only factor that affects humans’ temperature. If you are relatively fit and seem to "run hot," there’s an explanation for that: Muscle tissue generates heat, offering a different protection from the cold. If you’re relatively petite, not only does a low BMI heighten your response to cold, but so does your overall surface area. According to O’Brien, smaller people lose heat more quickly.

The combination of lower muscle mass and higher surface area in women provides some much-needed insight about the age-old stereotype that the female population is always cold (so next time the lady in your life asks for your jacket, don’t hesitate to hand it over).

But overall, which is better for handling cold weather, being slightly on the hefty side or thinner?

“We have a joke around here that the person who’s best-suited for cold is fit and fat,” O’Brien told PopSci.

---