Active frontiersmen consumed up to 20,000 calories a day to sustain extreme energy expenditures
the verdict
REFUTED
the evidence says no
confidence 22/100
The claim that active frontiersmen consumed 20,000 calories daily is refuted by physiological research showing that human energy expenditure is strictly capped at much lower levels, even among extreme endurance athletes.
Evidence against · 2
Extreme events reveal an alimentary limit on sustained maximal human energy expenditure
2019 · cited by 137
This study demonstrates that human sustained energy expenditure has strict physiological limits, capping out at roughly 2.5 times basal metabolic rate over long durations, making claims of 20,000 calories biologically impossible.
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More against · 1
Training volume and total energy expenditure of an Olympic and Ironman world champion: approaching the upper limits of human capabilities.
2024 · cited by 7
Even extreme world-class endurance athletes peak far below the claimed figure, with measured maximums reaching roughly 7,000 to 8,500 calories per day.