Can Being Cold Help You Lose Weight?

According to a recent study conducted by Obesity Reviews (published by the International Association for the Study of Obesity), losing weight may be as easy as not turning the heat on when it becomes cold outside. There are a few contributing factors to the claims made in this study.

Aside from the obvious changes in diet and exercise over the last couple decades, there have also been environmental changes occurring. One of these changes includes the rise of average indoor air temperatures during the winter months. This means that over the years, people have been setting their thermostats higher and higher as it gets cold in the winter. By not allowing the body to regulate temperate through natural means (such as shivering and energy burning), the body is not granted the opportunity to burn energy (calories) as means of staying warm.

The biggest factor, according to this study, is that when a warmer external temperature is maintained (higher temperatures on the thermostat), the body stores more white fat than brown fat. When a lower external temperature is experienced, the body may store fat as brown fat, which can be easily accessed for energy and therefore burned for usage. It is critically important to understand that by simply being in the cold; your body fat will not be magically converted to brown fat. Brown fat is still a bit of mystery to scientists and they are still actively researching how exactly it is formed and the genetic factors that may allow individuals to be more predisposed to storing fat as the brown variant rather than the white version.

In addition to allowing the body to create brown fat in lower temperatures, the body also reacts by boosting its metabolism. This essentially turns the body into a furnace, making it easier to burn calories and lose weight.

It is imperative to keep in mind that this is only a study and not a definitive means of weight loss. There can also be health risks associated with long term exposure or sudden introduction to lower temperatures, especially to the elderly or those with cardiovascular conditions. Living in a constant state of cold may not just help you lose some unwanted pounds but it can save substantially on heating costs. Please keep in mind, there are no easy fixes and no substitutes for eating healthy and performing exercises on a regular basis.