Changes in Body Temperature and Basal Metabolic Rate of the Ama— A Commentary

Abstract

The article entitled “Changes in Body Temperature and Basal Metabolic Rate of the Ama” (ie, Koreanpearl diving women) focuses on the thermal and metabolic responses of the remarkable Korean pearl divers(ama) who repeatedly dove into the waters of Pusan, Korea. This classic article demonstrates that the amawomen exhibited a type of acclimation termed “metabolic adaptation,” which may occur in individuals whobecome acclimatized to cold. The oral temperatures and metabolic rates of the Korean diving womendescribed in this article were measured during 4 seasons and compared with their Korean nondivingcounterparts who lived in the same community and consumed the same diet.The oral temperature of Korean diving women was measured before and after they dove for pearls in thewaters off the Pusan coast. Resting metabolic rate was also measured under the same conditions. In thesummer, the average oral temperature of the women declined to 35°C after 70 minutes of diving into 27°Cwater. In the winter months, the water temperature averaged 10°C, permitting the women to dive for only 15minutes. During this time, their oral temperatures declined to 33°C. Because the oral temperature declinedwith respect to the water temperature conditions, the duration of the work for the women was primarilydetermined by the water temperature and their ability to endure the extreme cold. The basal metabolic rateof the ama pearl divers varied with the season, implying that in the winter months the elevated (basal)