Some folks think that because they are white, black, or some other skin color that they do better at certain temperatures. Okay so, scientifically speaking this is true, but it hardly matters in the mid ranges, generally it is significant at the extremes of the temperature scale - hot or cold, but in the middle, well, most humans regardless of gene set, gene expression, color, or race all like the mid to upper-60s, 70s, 80s, and low to mid-90s Fahrenheit the best. Okay so, let's talk about those Caucasian people for a moment, what are the issues with their ideal temperature for that specific gene set?
First, let's get straight the reality that most folks have mixed gene sets by now, we are melting together, and this has several advantages, yes, even for heat stress or "thermal stress" as the physiologist researchers call it. So, now that we have that understood as a condition of moving forward on this topic, let's continue.
In fact, in the Journal of Applied Physiology there was a paper published in 1963 titled; "Heat reactions of Caucasians in temperate, in hot, dry, and in hot, humid climates," by CH Wyndham, RK MacPherson, Et al. which noted that Caucasians seemed to acclimate to the change in temperature and weather and once they did their new re-set bio system gapped over half-the-difference, between those who were un-acclimated to the new climate they had just arrived in.
Although the study didn't address the native gene set in the warm hot dry climates (native Africans) or the humidified climates (islanders), it did show a huge metamorphic change in how the body adapted. Which brings me to another point seeing as I happen to be a white Caucasian living in a desert resort town with temperatures often exceeding 110 degrees in the summer months. Your blood thins out, and your body deals with the new temperature and climate changes - quite nicely actually - well that plus a little less time in the sun, and more spent inside in the air-conditioning.
Still, having enjoyed walks, jogs, and bike rides in the 105 plus day heat, usually forgoing days any hotter than that, and realizing it is a dry heat here for the most part, I can see a huge change in my own body, even as it attempts to maintain higher levels of water to adapt to the condition, as if it has cellular memory of the previous week. Pretty neat evolutionarily evolved apparatus this human body is. Indeed, I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.
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