A new study suggests that shifting the temperature indoors at various times during the day may help people to lose weight.
According to the researchers from Maastricht University, Netherlands, led by Wouter van Marken Lichtenbelt, exposure to milder cold temperatures might help people to burn more calories. The researchers have been studying the connection between energy expenditure and the temperature for more than a decade.
In 2009, scientists have discovered brown adipose tissue, also called brown fat in human adults, disproving the previously believed fact that brown fats are only found in infants. Brown fat is different from white fat, which is closely linked to obesity. This type of fat plays an important role in nonshivering thermogenesis, a body function which involves producing more heat to keep your body temperature stable during colder months. When the body uses brown fat to initiate thermogenesis, it also uses calories.
The study ran for 10 days in which participants were asked to spend six hours a day indoors in a temperature of 59 degrees. The results of the experiment showed that the participants shivered less and they became more comfortable in colder temperatures.
The study wrote, "variable indoor environment with frequent cold exposures might be an acceptable and economic manner to increase energy expenditure."
To put it simply, researchers are suggesting varying the temperature in your house and office every now and then. Let the temperature rise and fall to teach your body to adjust its own temperature and therefore, increase your energy expenditure which in turn, will cause your body to burn more fat.
"More frequent cold exposure alone is not going to save the world from obesity," Lichtenbelt said to CNN, "but is a serious factor to consider for creating a sustainable environment along with a healthy lifestyle."
The study was published in the Jan. 22 issue of Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism.
