Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
Burn summary
Herman Pontzer
The Misunderstood Science of Metabolism
28 mins
Brief summary
In "Burn," Herman Pontzer explains how our bodies evolved to keep us alive, not necessarily to keep us healthy. He debunks common myths about exercise and diet, providing actionable advice for improving our health and longevity.
Table of Contents
Burn
Summary of 8 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 8
You are what you eat – literally.
In 1859, the French scientist Louis Pasteur made a revolutionary broth. What made it so special? Well, first, Pasteur realized that boiling the soup killed any germs that might be in the liquid. And second, he found that keeping it in an airtight flask prevented bugs and dirt from entering. This two-step system prevented the soup from spoiling – a revolutionary discovery.
This process came to be known as pasteurization, named after Pasteur himself. The experiment wasn’t just a practical triumph, though. It was also the final nail in the coffin of a theory as old as Aristotle – a theory known as spontaneous generation.
Spontaneous generation tried to explain phenomena like the sudden emergence of maggots on rotting meat. Where did these maggots come from? Before the invention of powerful microscopes, it was hard to answer that question. From antiquity to the Middle Ages and well beyond, people argued they came from nowhere – that is, that they spontaneously generated from inanimate objects like meat.
It’s easy to scoff at such an outdated notion, but a century of research into metabolism has shown that the truth is even stranger.
The key message in this blink is: You are what you eat – literally.
Today, we know that maggots don’t emerge from inert material. But look closely at a maggot-laying fly. What does it do? Essentially, it’s a small machine that transforms putrid protein into baby flies. Put differently, it spontaneously assembles its own and its offsprings’ bodies out of water, air, and the food it consumes.
Like flies, humans are also spontaneous-generation machines. Every ounce of bone and pint of blood, every fingernail, eyelash, and strand of hair, is made out of the things we eat. Inanimate matter, it turns out, does generate life.
How does this uncanny transformation occur? The answer is metabolism – the way our bodies burn energy. Let’s break that down.
The body is made up of thousands of different, interacting molecules. These include enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters, DNA, and more. Very few of them arrive in the body in usable form through our diets, however. Before they can be put to use, they have to be converted.
This is the work of cells. A cell’s job is to pull useful molecules circulating in the bloodstream in through its membrane and then convert those molecules into something else. Take ovary cells. They pull cholesterol molecules inside, convert them, and then push the end-product – estrogen, a hormone that affects the whole body – back into the bloodstream.
The work of these cells is what keeps us alive. But it requires energy – lots of it. Metabolism is the body’s life-preserving furnace, “burning” the food we eat and unlocking its energy for this purpose.
Want to see all full key ideas from Burn?
Key ideas in Burn
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is Burn about?
Burn (2021) shines a light on the science behind metabolism – the way our bodies burn energy. Packed with memorable insights and facts, it draws on the latest metabolic research and delves into the evolutionary history of the human body.
Burn Review
Burn (2021) takes readers on a captivating journey into the science of human energy expenditure, challenging common beliefs about fitness and weight loss. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- With compelling research and fascinating case studies, it reveals the surprising ways our bodies burn calories and how this impacts our health and weight.
- Dispelling myths about exercise and metabolism, the book offers practical insights that can help readers optimize their energy expenditure and achieve their fitness goals.
- Through its engaging storytelling and clear explanations, Burn demystifies the science of human energy, making it an enjoyable and informative read for anyone interested in health and fitness.
Who should read Burn?
- Gym members wondering why they aren’t shifting more weight
- Would-be dieters unsure of which nutritional plan to follow
- Natural history buffs
Categories with Burn
Book summaries like Burn
Words on the Move
John McWhorter
Why English Won’t – and Can’t – Sit Still (Like, Literally)
21 min
4.5
Made You Look
Carmen Simon
How to Use Brain Science to Attract Attention and Persuade Others
13 min
4.0
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
33 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth
Burn FAQs
What is the main message of Burn?
The main message of Burn is that understanding our evolutionary history can help us live healthier lives.
How long does it take to read Burn?
The reading time for Burn varies depending on the reader's speed, but it typically takes several hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in just a few minutes.
Is Burn a good book? Is it worth reading?
Burn is worth reading because it provides fascinating insights into human evolution and offers practical advice for improving our health.
Who is the author of Burn?
The author of Burn is Herman Pontzer.
What to read after Burn?
If you're wondering what to read next after Burn, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Why We Eat (Too Much) by Andrew Jenkinson
- The Metabolism Reset Diet by Alan Christianson
- The Bulletproof Diet by Dave Asprey
- Feel Great, Lose Weight by Rangan Chatterjee
- The Whole30 by Melissa Hartwig and Dallas Hartwig
- Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price
- The Obesity Code by Jason Fung
- The 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss
- Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch
- Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes