London - If you are keen to lose weight, it seems the answer is – just chill.
Scientists say that central heating may be making us fat – and the key to shedding pounds could be as easy as turning the temperature down. For when we are cold, the metabolism speeds up and more calories are used.
Heat-generating brown fat is also burnt off to keep us warm.
Dutch researcher Wouter van Marken Lichtenbelt recommends being “mild cold”. The Maastricht University scientist, who starts each day with a cold shower, said the body can get used to the cold and will shiver less over time.
Writing in the journal Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism, he said: “Mild cold exposure increases body energy expenditure without shivering.”
But he did add: “This only works if you don’t compensate by eating more.”
It follows a Japanese study that found spending two hours a day at 17c for six weeks leads to a drop in body fat. - Daily Mail