Does the cold help you lose weight?

«Cold Shoulder» is not the name of an Indian chief. This is the name of the high-tech product Cold Shoulder, invented and produced by mathematician and biologist Wayne B. Hayes. The product is a vest with many micropockets sewn into the lining, filled with a special, easily freezing compound. Before use, the vest should be placed in the freezer for a couple of hours. And when the vest is filled with real ice, you need to pull it out — and put it on yourself. And if you think that Cold Shoulder is a toy for sophisticated masochists, then you are wrong. The vest costs $150-200 (depending on the model), and there is no shortage of buyers. And many people buy 2 vests at once — so that the spare always lies in the freezer and, when the ice melts in the one you are wearing, you can quickly change into a new one — immaculately icy. What for? Yes, to lose weight!

• Why do you want to get slimmer?

The Mystery of Michael Phelps

The idea that we burn more calories in cold weather to maintain a normal body temperature is, to put it mildly, not new. But it was only recently that humanity guessed to bring a scientific basis for the active use of cold to combat excess weight. One of the pioneers was the American chemist Ray Cronise. He worked at NASA for more than 20 years, and one of the main results of his scientific work in the name of space exploration was that over the years, Ray recovered by 20 kilograms. Of course, Kronize regularly exhausted himself with exercises in the gym and tried a great many different diets. But the extra pounds stubbornly did not want to disappear.

Until one day, Ray Kronize caught the eye of a documentary about the famous swimmer, multiple Olympic champion Michael Phelps. The film, among other things, reported that at the peak of his sports career, Phelps consumed 12 calories a day — 10 times more than the average American. Kronize was shocked. No, of course, he understood how much the famous champion has to train and how high his loads are. But, sorry, even a marathon runner spends about 42 calories to cover a distance of 2600 kilometers. How does Phelps manage to spend five times as much?!

As a result, Ray came up with the only possible explanation. Swimmer Michael Phelps spent a significant part of his days in fairly cool water. And spent a lot of calories to maintain the temperature of his body! Inspired by his discovery, Kronize left NASA and began to lose weight at a cosmic speed. And to gain popularity too: his public lectures and appearances in the media¹ consistently attract a lot of attention.

• Natural weight: why not everyone needs to lose weight

The metabolic winter theory

At first, doctors and nutritionists took an unexpected competitor with hostility. Kronize was reproached for lack of evidence, for too bold and hasty conclusions, in an effort to replace the whole science of a healthy lifestyle with one single piece of advice — to get colder. And I must say, the accusations were not entirely unfounded. Ray Kronise, who is clearly a passionate nature, really allowed himself statements in the spirit that exposure to cold could replace both diet and exercise. Yes, and as evidence for a long time, he could only present his own falling trousers — he clearly lacked an experimental base.

Over time, however, the scientist became more careful in his thoughts and speeches and found very influential allies. He published an article in the reputable scientific journal Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders, co-authored with very respected scientists Andrew Bremer and David Sinclair². She not only confirms the correctness of Kronise’s guess, but also gives her a scientific justification. The authors put forward the theory of «metabolic winter». The essence of it, in short, is that for almost all of its history, man has fought desperately against hunger and cold. And the metabolic processes in the body were formed taking into account this fierce struggle. These problems have been solved in many countries only in recent decades. But, in the figurative expression of the authors of the article, «this is only the last inch of our evolutionary mile.» Therefore, the human body simply did not have time (and is unlikely to have time in the near future) to adapt to new conditions.

This means that in the current epidemic of obesity, not only malnutrition and a sedentary lifestyle are to blame, but also the fact that we constantly live in heat. The body «out of evolutionary habit» stores fat for cold times that never come.

• work and overweight

On vacation to the pole?

Experimental evidence of the ideas of Kronise and his colleagues was also not long in coming. Biologist Francesco Celi, for example, showed that when the temperature in the bedrooms of his study participants dropped from the usual 24 to 19 degrees, not white, but brown adipose tissue began to be actively produced in their bodies. It is considered useful because it is actively consumed in the process of thermoregulation — unlike white fat, which only accumulates calories, but stubbornly does not want to burn³.

And Ray Kronize meanwhile went even further. He never uses heaters, regularly douses himself in ice-cold water, and has completely given up the habit of sleeping under covers. The temperature in his house in Alabama never rises above 19 degrees, and in winter it often drops to 10. As a result, the scientist not only lost all the kilograms accumulated in the service of NASA, but also went into a serious minus.

Kronize, as mentioned above, has become more circumspect in his judgments. He admits that his initial remarks were rather naive. And now he preaches an integrated approach that combines physical activity, proper nutrition and exposure to low temperatures. This, in his opinion, is the key to health and harmony. And Ray Kronize also believes that, in terms of caring for the health and beauty of the body, we should not go to warmer climes for the winter, but, on the contrary, spend our summer holidays somewhere above the Arctic Circle.

But here’s what in what, and the Russians definitely don’t need this. As in the Cold Shoulder vests, perhaps. “The Russian cold is good for my health,” Pushkin wrote two centuries ago. And he was right about that too. Three — and this is according to the most conservative estimates — months of the Russian winter should be more than enough to meet the evolutionary need of the body for low temperatures. So don’t hide from the cold! And rejoice when you see the thermometer creeping down. Together with him, your weight will also rush there — if you are ready to become at least a little closer to your native nature. Walk more without wrapping yourself in a hundred warm jackets and sweaters. Do not turn on all the heaters in the house continuously. And at least sometimes open the window.

¹ See, for example, Ray Kronize’s lecture on the TEDMED portal (in English): http://www.tedmed.com/talks/show?id=7071

² Raymond J. Cronise et al. «The ‘‘Metabolic Winter’’ Hypothesis: A Cause of the Current Epidemics of Obesity and Cardiometabolic Disease». Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders, 2014, vol. 12, № 7.

³ Francesco Celi et al. «Temperature-acclimated brown adipose tissue modulates insulin sensitivity in humans». Diabetes, 2014, № 63 (11).