Cold Showers For Weight Loss: Is There Any Truth To It?
Cold therapy, also known as cryotherapy, is not an innovative idea. The cold is one of the sources that people have been resorting to over centuries to facilitate healing and resilience. It is basically a matter of exposing the body to cold for a specific duration of time.
It is a matter of definition of what is cold. It might include a brisk shower, a swim in cold water or even standing outdoors in colder temperatures. There are even those who go to the extreme such as dipping in cold lakes. Nevertheless, the majority of individuals who use cold therapy on a regular basis prefer to keep it between 5 and 15 minutes at a temperature of approximately 15C or less.
The aim isn’t discomfort — it’s the potential benefits. Cold therapy has been linked with:
Professional athletes have popularised ice baths, but they’re not alone. The general public is now exploring cold therapy for a range of wellbeing benefits.
If you’ve heard of cold exposure, chances are you’ve come across Wim Hof. Known as ‘The Iceman’, he holds numerous records related to enduring cold. Think climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in shorts or standing in a tub of ice for two hours.
His technique — the Wim Hof Method — blends cold exposure with controlled breathing practices. The goal? To train the body and mind to better cope with stress, strengthen the immune system, and support overall wellbeing.
But does it work? That’s still up for discussion. While several studies support some benefits of this method, many were conducted under Wim Hof’s own direction, raising questions about bias.
Also, most of the research is limited in size and scope — often involving only male participants. That means broader conclusions for the general population are still out of reach.
That said, a review of the available literature does suggest some promise. Particularly, there seems to be value in the method’s anti-inflammatory effects and stress reduction — both of which relate closely to metabolic health concerns like obesity.
Jumping into cold water might not sound like a logical weight-loss move, but science tells us there’s some basis for it. The key lies in something called thermogenesis.
Thermogenesis is how the body produces heat to keep your core temperature steady. This process relies heavily on a type of fat known as brown fat — or brown adipose tissue.
For a long time, researchers thought brown fat was only found in infants. But in 2007, studies confirmed its presence in adults, too — and its potential importance for regulating body weight.
In order to understand why brown fat is important, we could compare it to white fat:
The ability of brown fat to utilise extra calories in the form of heat is the reason why researchers have taken an increasing interest in its role in weight and obesity management.
The brown fat is not a continuously operational body system in the body; it must be activated. And one of the best methods of doing that is by being exposed to cold.
The sympathetic nervous system is stimulated when the body detects that the temperature has reduced. This, subsequently, activates brown fat cells in order to produce heat.
Exposure to cold is not the only provocation, however. Some forms of exercise and specific nutrients can also be used to activate brown fat. However, cold is the most investigated and trusted way so far.
Early results are interesting, but one should remain realistic. There is no conclusive evidence about the research of cold exposure on weight loss.
Others have demonstrated that cold exposure may raise resting metabolism, and in one study by up to 14 percent. However, other individuals discovered that the effects do not stand up very well in overweight individuals.
And most of this research is performed on animals, particularly mice. Study outcomes are not necessarily applicable to human beings.
Two things appear to remain the same study-to- study, however:
Other early findings are that long-term exposure to cool conditions may change white fat into more energetic, brown-like fat, so-called ‘beiging’.
Unfortunately, cold showers will not have a significant effect on weight loss.
Although researchers have decades of research under their belts, some of it stretching back to the 1970s, we still have no concrete evidence that even cold shower therapy will have much of an effect on body weight.
To put things into perspective: the average number of brown fat that adults possess is minute. The calories consumed by this tissue amount to only about 20 a day — as many as two minutes of light jogging.
In that regard, the burned calories in cold showers are comparable to the burned calories in sleep and minor physical activity. Any little amount counts, but it is not sufficient to achieve meaningful weight loss by itself.
With this said, cold showers could also have other wellness advantages. Therefore, out of interest, it may be worth trying them, although again, do not expect them to substitute a good diet and physical activity scheme.
Cold showers are not the magic cure to weight loss but not useless, either. Lots of individuals resort to cold exposure without related interest in burning calories, such as in accelerating muscle recovery or being less sick during flu season.
You have probably seen the ice bath routine when you have seen an athlete recovering after a hard game or training. It is not a mere show. There is strong evidence that cold therapy can be used to alleviate muscle soreness.
There is one reason why this works and it has to do with the way the body reacts to the cold. When you are cold, your body accelerates the blood circulation in order to keep you warm. That flood of fresh oxygenated blood can aid in repair of muscles particularly when your muscles are fatigued or stressed.
Naturally, you do not need cold exposure, your body may also recover itself. However, this approach could provide some additional assistance to the people who have an urge to accelerate the process.
Inflammation is a great contributor to how our body reacts to stress, sickness, and even weight. Some cold therapy, like the Wim Hof method, has been proven to help reduce inflammation and that could be a win as far as long term health goes.
Other studies have also stressed that cold exposure, coupled with healthy lifestyles, including active lifestyles, avoiding stress, and being socially active, could yield even more evident ant-inflammatory outcomes.
Swimming in cold water when it is cold outside may seem like a dreadful idea to you, but it can actually be beneficial to your health, some studies say.
It is thought that the cold exposure causes a mild stress which stimulates the immune system. Such a reaction can assist the body in combating the mild infections such as cold or flu.
In a single Dutch trial, individuals who completed their daily showers with a brief cold-water blast, 30, 60 or 90 seconds, reported 29 percent fewer sick days compared to those who maintained their showers hot.
Generally, the short cold shower is safe for most individuals. The body is a good thermostat and it reacts swiftly to a temperature drop.
Nonetheless, cold therapy does not suit everybody. You are to be careful in case you have some health issues, particularly, heart health or circulation related.
The following are some of the possible risks to take note of:
Your doctor should be consulted in case you have doubts as to whether cold exposure is safe for you. And the best thing of all is listen to your body. It is not worth being tough and neglecting warning signs.
When you are interested in taking cold showers, take it easy. It is not to shock your system or to survive minutes of agony. It is a question of developing tolerance in a safe manner.
The following are some practical tips:
Although cold showers are beneficial, it is not the only tool you can use when you want to control your weight. The lasting change is what most of the time results in real progress and that is where the holistic approach is involved.
Instead of taking a hard diet or doing a fad exercise, a comprehensive strategy is a long-term addition to healthier habits. It is all about eating more healthily, exercising, dealing with stress, and having someone to help you.
You may begin to do this yourself or you may prefer to have a professional team help you, such as your GP, a qualified dietitian or a personal trainer. There are even programs that do everything in one.
We have come up with a program that combines it all. Our weight loss assistance does not include making you follow strict rules. Rather, we offer science-driven therapies and realistic lifestyle advice, customised to assist you in achieving long-term changes.
You will be assisted with:
Our mission is to make the experience feel manageable, and, yes, even enjoyable. Whether it is a cold shower or not, you do not have to do it by yourself.
We’ve developed a comprehensive six-step process that acts as your personal health roadmap, to follow towards your health goals.
