Want to lose weight? A healthy diet may not be the only thing you need. It turns out that sitting in cold temperatures may be key. Scientists have discovered that regular exposure to mild cold may be a healthy way to help people lose weight. Yet this also means that warm homes and offices may be contributing to tipping the scales.
Earlier studies of temperature primarily focused on the extremes. This research was applicable to the military, firefighters and others, but not to the average person. That's why researchers decided to take a closer look at how temperature affects a person's body.
"Since most of us are exposed to indoor conditions 90 percent of the time, it is worth exploring health aspects of ambient temperatures," said Wouter van Marken Lichtenbelt, one of the researchers, in a news release. "What would it mean if we let our bodies work again to control body temperature? We hypothesize that the thermal environment affects human health and more specifically that frequent mild cold exposure can significantly affect our energy expenditure over sustained time periods."
So what did they find? It turns out that there are big differences among people in their response to mild cold conditions. In fact, heat-generating, calorie-burning brown fat is present in greater quantities in some adults more than others. It turns out that a more variable indoor temperature may actually be beneficial.
In fact, a research group from Japan found a decrease in body fat after people spent two hours per day at 62.6 degrees Fahrenheit for six weeks. A Netherlands team similarly found that people get used to the cold over time and that after six hours a day in the cold for a period of 10 days, people had increased brown fat.
"Indoor temperatures in most buildings is regulated to minimize the percentage of people dissatisfied," wrote the researchers in a news release. "This results in relatively high indoor temperatures in wintertime. This is evident in offices, in dwellings and is most pronounced in care centers and hospitals. By lack of exposure to a varied ambient temperature, whole populations may be prone to develop diseases like obesity. In addition, people become vulnerable to sudden changes in ambient temperature."
It turns out that sitting out in the cold, in addition to a healthy diet, may be a good help to help lose weight.
The findings are published in the journal Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism.
