Gas prices are currently skyrocketing. Economical is the motto. Turn the heating down a degree in the coming winter months. Or take a cold shower. Understandably, this evokes the necessary resistance, regardless of any political overtones. Because most people don’t like cold at all. But did you know that occasionally getting out in the cold can have a positive effect on your health?
As a seasoned brown-fat researcher, I get a little warm when I talk about cold. Cold is an important signal to activate our brown fat. And that is beneficial, because brown fat, in contrast to white fat, ensures that fats are burned into heat. This allows brown fat to speed up the metabolism. And a faster metabolism ensures that you burn more fats from your white-fat supply. In addition, cold also causes more activity of the muscles, which can also contribute to a faster metabolism. A Japanese study showed that men who spent 2 hours a day in a cooler room for 6 weeks lost almost a kilogram of body fat1. And in patients with type 2 diabetes, daily cold exposure for 10 days improved sugar metabolism2. So yes, turning the thermostat down isn’t all that bad.
Cold and the immune system
Cold affects not only the metabolism, but also the immune system. When you are cold, various hormones are released, such as adrenaline and noradrenaline. It turns out that different immune cells have recipients to which these hormones can bind. We have shown that after short exposure to the cold, various substances are increased in the blood that put the immune system in a state of preparedness. In the near future we will further investigate what this exactly means for your health in the so-called COOLBAT project (financed by the Heart Foundation).
Cold shower
And what about that cold shower? Anyone who has ever tried this, myself included, knows that it gives a huge kick. You feel sharp and energized when you step out of the shower shivering. But does it yield anything more? An Amsterdam study shows that people who took a cold shower for a month, 30 seconds was enough, called in sick 29% less often than people who took a hot shower3. Whether a cold shower also activates brown fat has not yet been scientifically investigated, but it is plausible given the strong and rapid effect that cold has. This will also be apparent from our new COOLBAT project, so stay tuned!
So there are more and more indications that it is not so wrong to seek out the cold every now and then. This is not only good for your health, but also beneficial for your wallet and the environment.
Mariëtte Boon is a doctor and works as a postdoc researcher at the Endocrinology department, where she conducts research into the role of brown fat in metabolic diseases. Together with internist Liesbeth van Rossum she wrote the book ‘VET important’. Got excited about cold? Then follow the Instagram page @kou_als_medicine, where the so-called ‘Fat cool shower challenge’ is regularly organized.