health
Ice vests or daily cold showers could help people lose weight, study finds
Researchers say daily exposure to cold activates brown fat and could help speed up body’s burning of calories
TL;DR
- Wearing an ice vest for two hours daily for six weeks led to an average loss of 0.9kg (2lb) of body fat.
- A control group in the study gained 0.6kg (1.3lb) on average.
- Daily cold exposure is believed to activate brown fat, which uses body fat to produce heat and burn calories.
- This could be a simple and inexpensive addition to weight loss strategies like healthy eating and physical activity.
- The researchers are also studying if cold showers can promote fat loss, with a separate study involving women taking 90-second cold showers daily.
- Potential benefits beyond weight loss include improved lipids, glucose, and reduced inflammation, which could help prevent cardiovascular disease.