Wearing an ice vest or taking daily cold showers could help people lose weight, according to researchers from the University of Nottingham and Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). A study of 47 adults with obesity or overweight found that regular exposure to cold temperatures led to significant fat loss.
Study Details
Half of the participants wore an ice vest and waist wrap for two hours each morning, while continuing their normal daily routines. The vests, worn over a thin T-shirt, contained gel-filled cooling packs kept in the freezer overnight, maintaining a temperature of 15°C. After six weeks, those wearing the vests lost an average of 0.9kg (2lb), almost entirely body fat. In contrast, the control group did not lose weight and actually gained 0.6kg (1.3lb) on average.
Mechanism and Expert Insights
Lead researcher Dr. Mariëtte Boon of LUMC said, "This is one of the first studies looking at the impact of cold exposure over a prolonged period of time, involving people with overweight and obesity." She added, "Vests like this can be worn at home and so cold exposure could be a simple and inexpensive addition to lifestyle strategies for weight loss such as healthy eating and physical activity."
Co-author Prof. Helen Budge from the University of Nottingham explained, "Daily cold exposure activates brown fat, which uses body fat stores to produce heat. It is possible that wearing a cooling vest trains brown fat to be more active and has a healthy effect on lipids, glucose and inflammation in the body. All those things are preventative in cardiovascular disease."
Further Research
The researchers, jointly funded by the Dutch Heart Foundation and the British Heart Foundation, are investigating whether other forms of regular cold exposure could reduce obesity, inflammation, and prevent heart disease. A separate study involving 34 women in the Netherlands is examining if cold showers also promote fat loss. Half of the women will take a 90-second cold shower every morning.
Budge noted, "It is our hypothesis that cold showers and cold swimming could have the same effect," but cautioned that cold swimming involves factors like cold shock, which could have different effects on the body. Boon added, "The cooling vest is a much longer period of exposure than the shower. But on the other hand the cold shower is much colder. We will have to see if it has an impact on weight loss. We hope people can find a method of cold exposure that works for them and fits into their daily routine."
The study was presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul.
