Cold Exposure With Shivering Enhances Metabolic Health in Obesity

Summary: One of the new studies shows that intermittent exposure to cold, which causes shivering for about an hour a day, maybe quite good for metabolic health. It may improve glucose tolerance, reduce bad cholesterol, and even help reduce blood pressure in overweight and obese individuals.

 People frequently wonder why certain health issues like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and various cancers have become so common. However, there is no single explanation or reply to this relevant question. This sudden rise in various non-infectious diseases is due to multiple reasons.

What is clear is that the rise in these chronic health disorders is primarily due to environmental and lifestyle changes. 

Even worse, some of these issues have risen due to improved lifestyles. Thus, for example, a rise in certain types of cancers is related to increased human lifespan. Similarly, too much focus on hygiene might have reduced the risk of catching infections, but it also lowers immunity and may even increase the risk of allergies.

Similarly, one of the new studies shows that cold exposure with prolonged shivering may be good for health, especially for metabolic health. 

Schedule An Appointment With Us Today

In the olden days, people were more likely to be exposed to cold, which caused shivering. However, nowadays, people are living in much more comfort, and homes are warm and cozy. This means that shivering due to cold is uncommon. But now, experts recommend that it may also be good for health, especially for metabolic health.

This cold shivering is different from ice bathing or therapy, which is about exposing the body to extreme cold for a shorter duration, resulting in specific stress responses that help boost recovery. 

However, one would need longer cold therapy for better metabolic health, causing prolonged shivering.

This latest study was done by health experts from the Department of Nutrition and Movement Sciences, NUTRIM Institute of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. 

In the study, 15 overweight or obese men and women were enrolled. Women in the study were postmenopausal. These individuals were intermittently exposed to cold for 10 days, inducing one hour of shivering daily.

To the researchers' amazement, this shivering resulted in improvements in all metabolic parameters. Cold acclimation improved glucose tolerance and fasting blood glucose levels.

Interestingly, this shivering therapy also improved the lipid profile of the participants, reducing total cholesterol and triglycerides and even lowering blood pressure.

This was not a very large study. Nonetheless, it shows how even small lifestyle changes may have unpredictable impacts on health. 

Of course, researchers do not propose that people start exposing themselves to extreme colds, as this may increase the risk of certain other health issues. However, it shows that there is much more to learn about lifestyle approaches.

It appears that a modern, comfortable lifestyle, in which people are unlikely to acclimate to cold this way, also increases the risk of certain metabolic disorders.

This may be one of the first clinical studies in this direction, but doctors and traditional medicine practitioners have long known the benefits of shivering. That is why, in many parts of the world, it is recommended that people spend more time outside in the cold. 

Generally, exposure to cold for short periods is not harmful and does not pose a health threat. It is known that people who expose themselves to cold and induce shivering also have better immunity. They are less likely to develop seasonal infections like a common cold.

To sum up, being overprotective during winter may have its downsides, too. Exposing oneself to cold for shorter periods and in a controlled manner may rather be helpful in many ways.