Final answer:
Skeletal muscles help maintain body temperature by releasing heat when they are active, a crucial part of thermal homeostasis. This heat production is particularly evident during exercise and shivering.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer to how skeletal muscles help maintain body temperature is B. the more active they are, the more heat is released. Skeletal muscles, which make up about forty percent of your body mass, generate heat as a byproduct of their contraction.
This process is essential for thermal homeostasis, the regulation of the body's temperature. During exercise, sustained muscle movement increases the breakdown of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) for energy, leading to the production of heat.
In response to cold temperatures, the body can initiate shivering, which is the involuntary contraction of skeletal muscles, resulting in heat generation to warm the body. Therefore, through normal movements and involuntary shivering, skeletal muscles play a critical role in maintaining our core temperature.