I go for an ocean plunge every Sunday morning (9:30 at Brighton Backbeach if anyone wants to join us; no wetsuits required). We are a group of local women (a few men have started, never to return, not sure if they were put off by the women or the cold). This Sunday, the shortest day of the year, was very icy.
After I warmed up, I went for a walk from Flagstaff to Swampy Summit. On the way back, the weather turned. Blasting wind and squiffy cold rain had me hunched into my winter woollies. As I trudged through claggy clay, I observed the plants being whipped relentlessly. Hardy, stoic, tough.
From seaweed swirling in the winter ocean to high-range plants battered by winds and rain. How do plants survive the elements?
Water and land plants have evolved different yet remarkably similar survival strategies, both structural and physiological. Here are some examples:
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Compact growth forms
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Controlling where ice forms (drawing ice outside of cells)
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Producing osmoprotectants, sugars and sugar alcohols to stabilise proteins (in cold or dry conditions, proteins can unfold; by keeping the environment liquid, the proteins are stabilised)
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Releasing antioxidant compounds to protect against oxidative stress from a cold environment.
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Some seaweed species even produce antifreeze proteins, which bind to small ice nuclei and modify the shape of ice crystals, reducing damage.
My adaptation to a cold environment, which involves putting on winter woollies and lighting the fire, seems passive in comparison to plants, but then again, I am not exposed to the conditions 24/7.
However, there is more to human adaption than meets the eye. When you first start cold swimming, you experience rapid breathing or a gasp reflex response. This triggers an elevated heart rate and blood pressure. Over time, this response reduces - your body is less shocked and the adrenal surge lessens.
Adapted swimmers develop faster and more efficient vasodilation upon rewarming and have reduced risk of cold-induced vasospasm (that’s the white fingers that occur with extreme cold). Adapted swimmers are also more able to activate the breakdown of brown fat, which can help improve insulin sensitivity (bonus!).
Overall, cold adaptation in humans increases lipid metabolism, which facilitates the breakdown of fat for fuel in freezing conditions. We also increase norepinephrine production for heat, which improves mood. Finally, cold adaptation in humans reduces cortisol levels, lowering stress.
There it is, evidence, people. Whether you are a cold-plunger or willing to expose yourself to winter elements regularly, there's nothing better than joining the cold-adapted plants and doing a bit of cold adaptation yourself! See you at Brighton Backbeach next Sunday!
Oh and if you want a fast way to improve oxygen diffusion in your body - along wth a cold walk, have a Zestt Breathe+ lozenge and walk further for longer!