Cold temperatures contribute to weight loss

On the other hand, this means that our warm and comfortable homes and offices may be partly responsible for increasing our weight.

After most of us are exposed to the 90 percent internal conditions of the time, it is worth exploring the health aspects of environmental temperatures”, said the lead author of the writing, Wuter van Marken Lichtenbelt, of the Maastricht University Medical Centre in the Netherlands.

What would happen if we let our bodies work again to control body temperature? We assume that the thermal environment affects human health and more specifically that more frequent exposure to moderate cold can significantly affect our energy expenditures during stable times”.

Marken Lichtenbels and his colleagues began studying the effects of moderate cold about 10 years ago, mainly because of having paid little attention. Previous temperature studies mostly focused on the extreme for application to military, fire fighters and others. But studies began to show great differences among people in their response to conditions of moderate cold.

This led researchers to an important discovery: The fat that generates warmth and burns calories is not just for infants. Adults have it as well as some more than others.

Marken Lichtenbelt says they now have evidence which suggests that the most changing domestic temperature a temperature that matches outside temperatures can be beneficial, even though the long-term effects still await further investigation.

A group of researchers from Japan discovered a decline in body fat after people spent 2 hours a day at 17 degrees Celsius in six weeks. The Dutch team also found that people get used to the cold over time. After six hours a day in the cold for a period of 10 days, people in their study increased the amount of brown fat, felt more comfortable, and trembled less to 15 degrees Fahrenheit [15 ° C].

In young and middle - aged people at least, intravenous heat production may account for up to 30 percent of the body's energy budget, they say. This means that lower temperatures can significantly affect the amount of energy a person spends.

So maybe, besides our exercise, we should train ourselves to spend more time in the cold. However, turning to work requires little conviction.

Internal temperatures in most buildings are arranged to minimize the percentage of dissatisfied” people, researchers write. This results in relatively high temperatures in internal spaces during the winter. This is evident in the offices, in residences and is more pronounced in care centers and hospitals.

Because of the lack of exposure to a different temperature in the environment, entire populations may be prone to develop diseases such as obesity. In addition, people become sensitive to sudden changes in environmental temperature”.