Cold Exposure

Last Updated: September 28, 2022

The act of exposing yourself to the cold and feeling the cold and, gritting your teeth through the discomfort. It actually does appear to burn fat in an attempt to warm the body, and may carry some health benefits.

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Cold Exposure is most often used for

Summary

Cold exposure is a technique in which a person voluntarily expose themselves to temperatures below their comfort level. This voluntary deviation from the body's ideal temperature causes reactions in the body to maintain the internal temperature; some of these reactions are increased metabolic rate to produce heat, which results in weight loss.

The benefits seen are long term (adaptive), and thus not likely to occur with one or two isolated ventures. They are directly proportional (to a degree) to the variance between comfort level temperature and the temperature one partakes in.

What else is Cold Exposure known as?
Note that Cold Exposure is also known as:
  • Non-shivering thermogenesis
  • Shivering
Cold Exposure should not be confused with:
  • Heat Treatment
Dosage information

Benefits have been seen at 6°C degrees below comfort level, which is typically 16°C (60.8 ºF).

Greater metabolic losses are seen with greater intensities of cold exposure.

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Research Breakdown

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References
  1. ^Grimaldi D, Provini F, Pierangeli G, Mazzella N, Zamboni G, Marchesini G, Cortelli PEvidence of a diurnal thermogenic handicap in obesityChronobiol Int.(2015 Mar)
  2. ^Johnson F, Mavrogianni A, Ucci M, Vidal-Puig A, Wardle JCould increased time spent in a thermal comfort zone contribute to population increases in obesity?Obes Rev.(2011 Jul)
  3. ^Gilbert SS, van den Heuvel CJ, Ferguson SA, Dawson DThermoregulation as a sleep signalling systemSleep Med Rev.(2004 Apr)
  4. ^Cannon B, Nedergaard JMetabolic consequences of the presence or absence of the thermogenic capacity of brown adipose tissue in mice (and probably in humans)Int J Obes (Lond).(2010 Oct)
  5. ^van Marken Lichtenbelt WD, Vanhommerig JW, Smulders NM, Drossaerts JM, Kemerink GJ, Bouvy ND, Schrauwen P, Teule GJCold-activated brown adipose tissue in healthy menN Engl J Med.(2009 Apr 9)
  6. ^van der Lans AA, Hoeks J, Brans B, Vijgen GH, Visser MG, Vosselman MJ, Hansen J, Jörgensen JA, Wu J, Mottaghy FM, Schrauwen P, van Marken Lichtenbelt WDCold acclimation recruits human brown fat and increases nonshivering thermogenesisJ Clin Invest.(2013 Aug)
  7. ^Wijers SL, Saris WH, van Marken Lichtenbelt WDIndividual thermogenic responses to mild cold and overfeeding are closely relatedJ Clin Endocrinol Metab.(2007 Nov)
  8. ^Saito M, Okamatsu-Ogura Y, Matsushita M, Watanabe K, Yoneshiro T, Nio-Kobayashi J, Iwanaga T, Miyagawa M, Kameya T, Nakada K, Kawai Y, Tsujisaki MHigh incidence of metabolically active brown adipose tissue in healthy adult humans: effects of cold exposure and adiposityDiabetes.(2009 Jul)
  9. ^Bernhard MC, Li P, Allison DB, Gohlke JMWarm Ambient Temperature Decreases Food Intake in a Simulated Office Setting: A Pilot Randomized Controlled TrialFront Nutr.(2015 Aug 24)
  10. ^Rowe EA, Rolls BJEffects of environmental temperature on dietary obesity and growth in ratsPhysiol Behav.(1982 Feb)
  11. ^Cannon B, Nedergaard JThermogenesis challenges the adipostat hypothesis for body-weight controlProc Nutr Soc.(2009 Nov)
  12. ^Schellen L, van Marken Lichtenbelt WD, Loomans MG, Toftum J, de Wit MHDifferences between young adults and elderly in thermal comfort, productivity, and thermal physiology in response to a moderate temperature drift and a steady-state conditionIndoor Air.(2010 Aug)
  13. ^Warwick PM, Busby RInfluence of mild cold on 24 h energy expenditure in 'normally' clothed adultsBr J Nutr.(1990 May)