If you're among the many Americans who have been enduring weeks of bitter cold and snowstorms, here's a thought that may help you get through the winter a little easier: increasing exposure to cold temperatures could increase weight loss.A recently published article in Obesity Reviews presents evidence gathered from Dr. Fiona Johnson of the University College London and her colleagues supporting the theory that higher indoor temperatures and reduced exposure to cold may be a contributor to rising obesity rates.
Researchers believe that cooler external temperatures force our bodies to burn more energy to keep warm.
"By lowering the room temperature you can increase the speed of weight loss," Dr. Eric Braverman, author of "The Younger (Sexier) You," told AOL Health. "For those looking to lose weight, it can be an additional strategy for added impact." He adds that it should not be the only strategy, however.
According to Braverman, decreased temperatures have been shown to burn brown fat in the body. Brown fat, or stored calories, responds to mild cold and burns energy to create heat. "The cold actually helps activate the brown fat burning process," explains Braverman.
Studies have shown that obese individuals have less brown fat than skinny people. But brown fat loses its effectiveness in burning energy if it's not used and exposed to cooler temperatures.
Johnson and her team documented that household heating rates have increased in the United Kingdom as well as the United States over the last decade. In addition, people are not only turning up their thermostats a degree or two, but they're leaving them turned up all the time, not even turning them down at bedtime.
People are also spending less time outdoors. This, combined with the higher indoor temperatures, means most people are probably not exposed to the most effective level of cold for fat burning. So people are using less energy to maintain their body temperatures, and without that exposure to cold, humans seem to lose some of their ability to warm up on their own.
That doesn't mean if you turn down your thermostat you'll lose five pounds. Cutting the heat might tempt you to put on extra layers and eat more, but evidence suggests that even adding a sweater and snacking on a sandwich will not completely cancel out the potentail fat-burning effects of cold exposure.
Johnson told Discovery News evidence is still lacking. Researchers do not know how cold a person would have to be for what period of time in order for these effects to take place.
Barverman thinks Johnson's team may be onto something, however. "The Southern belt is much more obese than the Northern belt in America," he says, adding he believes the exposure to cold may play a role.
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