No Shortcuts to the Top: Nutrition and Science on the World’s Highest Mountains

Near the edge of the Earth’s troposphere (the lowest layer of our atmosphere), the oxygen availability on the summit of Mount Everest is approximately one third that of sea level. In order to climb the world’s highest mountains, the body must adapt in multiple ways to survive. 

Dr. Ed Viesturs is the first American to summit all fourteen 8,000+ meter peaks in the Himalaya without bottled oxygen, reaching the top of Everest an astounding seven times. After earning his doctorate in veterinary medicine in 1987 while also serving as a guide on Mount Ranier, Dr. Viesturs decided to embrace his passion for climbing the highest peaks of the world full-time, and he has never looked back. Along the way, he has learned much about the nutritional needs of climbers at high altitude, which requires a balance between extremely high energy expenditure and decreasing appetite. 

Dr. Viesturs will provide a thrilling description of his path to summiting the world’s highest peaks and discuss the nutritional challenges of an Everest expedition, from the logistics of purchasing and transporting literally tons of food for an entire climbing team to keeping food from freezing in low temperatures to being able to ingest sufficient calories to meet the energy needs of strenuous climbing in low oxygen conditions. He will also provide insight into the physiological changes that occur with acclimatization, gleaned from his own experience and through his participation in several studies examining the acute and chronic effects of living and working at extreme high altitudes. Dr. Viesturs is a fascinating speaker who brings Everest to life and inspires those at sea level to set ambitious goals and work to achieve them.

The Jean Andrews Centennial Faculty Fellowship in Human Nutrition was established by the Board of Regents of The University of Texas System in 1983, with support from Jean Andrews, Ph.D. of Austin, Texas, a 1944 graduate of The University of Texas at Austin College of Natural Sciences.