Living in a poorly heated room would promote the activity of brown fat and burn calories, according to the results of a study presented at the annual conference ENDO 2016 from the Endocrine Society. An economical solution to lose a little weight?
Exposure to cold activates thermogenesis, to generate body heat, and activate brown fat, which helps burn calories and lose weight.
Brown fat is widely present in newborns, to ensure thermogenesis (production of heat in the body when the body temperature is below 37 ° C) since they are not able to shiver. Studies have already shown that adults who have a lot of brown fat are leaner than those who have less. This new study appears to confirm these findings.
Researchers from the University of Nara (Japan) analyzed the medical data of 1,103 participants in a Japanese community study (HEIJO-KYO study), to assess the association between the living environment and the health of elderly people living home.
Waist circumference, a risk factor for chronic diseases
The researchers measured waist circumference, belly fat mass, two indicators of risk for developing chronic diseases, such as diabetes and the heart disease.
Then, they recorded the indoor temperature of the participants’ homes every 10 minutes for a period of 48 hours during the day during the same cold season.
The results of the study showed that the 64 participants with the lowest indoor temperatures (10 ° C or less) had an average waist circumference of 81.3 cm. In contrast, participants living at the highest indoor temperatures, an average waist circumference of 84.9 cm.
“Although exposure to cold can be a trigger for heart disease, our data suggest that safe and appropriate cold exposure may be an effective preventive measure againstobesity“said lead author of the study, Keigo Saeki, from the Department of Community Health Medicine and Epidemiology at Nara Medical University in Japan.
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Brown fat, an anti-diabetes weapon
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