More than a century ago, Robert Falcon Scott and Roald Amundsen led historic expeditions to the South Pole. At the time, little was known about nutrition, physiology, or how the human body adapts to extreme conditions. Today, similar expeditions are supported by modern technology—Kevlar sleds, advanced insulating clothing, and practical freeze-dried rations. Yet one thing remains unchanged, the human body is still at stake.
Over the past three decades, Antarctica has become not only a stage for adventure but also an open-air laboratory. Researchers have gathered data from 12 sled expeditions, involving dozens of men and women covering hundreds to thousands of kilometers. From this, new insights have emerged into how the body functions, survives, and transforms under extraordinary physical and mental pressure.
The findings? The human body has remarkable ways of adapting, but not without a cost.
Weight Loss
Even with daily rations of 5,000 to 6,500 calories—twice the needs of an average adult—explorers still lost weight. Not just a kilo or two, but as much as 7 to 15 percent of total body mass.
“No matter how much they ate, the body continued to burn itself,” wrote Mabliny Thuani, lead author of the study. Fat was the primary energy reserve depleted, but muscles and other tissues were also affected depending on the journey’s conditions and load.
Heavy sleds also left their mark on the skeleton. Women who pulled 80-kilogram sleds over 1,700 kilometers, for example, experienced decreases in bone density in the ribs and spine. Fortunately, these effects could recover once they returned to normal life.
At Antarctica’s higher altitudes, the body faced another challenge, thin air and reduced oxygen. Aerobic capacity dropped, the heart worked harder, and after expeditions ended, the nervous system needed time to regain balance.
Hormones also shifted dramatically. Leptin, which signals satiety, and adiponectin, which stimulates hunger, both dropped sharply. As a result, the body lost its natural cues for when to eat or stop eating.
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The Psychological Battle
The challenges weren’t only physical. Imagine living for weeks in an unchanging landscape, under a sun that never sets. Isolation, monotony, and silence could prove tougher than snowstorms.
Some explorers reported sleep disturbances, mood swings, and reduced concentration. Here, teamwork became crucial. Studies of all-female expeditions revealed that collective decision-making, shared leadership, and emotional support among team members were key to success.
“In such conditions, trust in your teammates means more than anything else,” Mabliny noted.
Why does this matter? Because what happens in Antarctica mirrors the challenges of other extreme environments—even those beyond Earth. Isolation, psychological stress, high energy demands, and bodily adaptations are similar to what astronauts will face on missions to Mars or the Moon.
In other words, each ski track carved into the Antarctic snow is also paving the way for humanity’s steps into space.
Still, this research is only a beginning. Of the 12 studies, data from just 42 unique participants were fully analyzed. That means conclusions are limited, and many questions remain: how do men and women adapt differently? How much do routes and altitude affect outcomes? What about long-term health after expeditions?
What is clear, however, is this: Antarctic sled journeys are not just about conquering nature. They are stories of how the human body—with all its limits and wonders—continues to adapt to the harshest tests on the planet. (Sulung Prasetyo)
