Warm-blooded animals have two ways to quickly warm up on their own, without wrapping themselves up, drinking or snacking. First of all, they begin to tremble, and as a result of the work of the subcutaneous muscles, heat is released. But if you no longer have the strength to tremble, but it’s still cold, the second warming mechanism turns on. Cells brown fat intensively burn calories and release heat, which at first glance is not associated with muscle contractions.
It turns out that shivering is a necessary step for chemical warming up.
As specialists from several departments led by Dr. Francesco Celi have established, the subcutaneous muscles that contract during trembling secrete a hormone irisin, signaling fat cells that it’s time to speed up metabolism and release heat. Researchers' work published in the journal Cell Metabolism .
Irisin is known as a hormone that muscles produce during physical activity. As experiments on rodents have shown, it stimulates the release of heat in the cells of normal white fat, intended primarily for storing excess lipids. These data led Francesco Celi and his colleagues to believe that irisin may stimulate metabolic processes in brown fat cells and that there is a connection between the two heat production systems.
To test their hypothesis, the researchers invited ten volunteers aged 27 ± 5 years normal build. All experiments were carried out in the morning on an empty stomach, the interval between experiments was at least three days. The subjects' serum irisin levels were measured. After an hour of intense physical exercise it increased threefold or more. Having established this, the researchers had participants dressed in minimal clothing, on the bed, covered with water blankets and gradually cooled from 27 to 12 degrees. The skin of young people became cold, but the temperature deep in the body remained the same. Not everyone shivers from the cold.
In those who trembled, the contractile activity of the subcutaneous muscles increased by 88%, in the rest - by about 13%.
The researchers took samples of thermogenic fat from volunteers. There is almost no brown fat in the adult human body, and practically the only accessible place where it is preserved is the neck area. The cells were treated with irisin, which activated the genes responsible for heat production and increased energy consumption. Moreover, irisin made white fat cells look like brown ones: under its action, they also activate the breakdown of lipids and release energy.
Thus, when irisin is released, the body has an additional heat resource.
The researchers suggested that the original function of irisin was precisely that of a warming agent. It was produced in the subcutaneous muscles when they contracted from the cold, and signaled brown fat cells that it was time to warm up the body. Obviously, over time, irisin began to be synthesized in any working muscles and affect the activity of the adjacent adipose tissue, so we overheat during intense physical activity, which often causes inconvenience. But in cold weather you can warm up not only by wearing a fur coat and shivering, but also by running, jumping or chopping wood.
IN modern world The problem of cold weather is not as pressing as the obesity epidemic. Most people find it easy to dress warmly and warm up the house, but losing weight is a challenge. Researchers believe that irisin could eventually become a therapeutic agent for weight control and improved metabolism.
The next time you are freezing at a bus stop, waiting for a minibus and cursing global cooling, or the heating in your apartment suddenly turns off, perhaps the following thought will warm your soul: this hellish cold is bringing your figure closer to ideal proportions. In short, when you are cold, you lose weight!Probably the easiest way to lose weight
This innovative method of losing weight was proposed by Danish scientists - simply lower the temperature of the space around you. Most of us spend the cold season in a warm room, sitting close to the heater, drinking a cup of hot tea or, often snacking on cookies. It is not surprising, therefore, that women gain an average of 2-5 kilograms during the winter. excess weight. Meanwhile, as research shows, you need to do the opposite - that is, try to spend as much time as possible in the fresh cold air, without overheating in any case. In this case, losing a significant amount of excess weight is guaranteed. After all, when a person is cold, his metabolism accelerates by 30%.
Well, does the very thought of cold make you shudder? By the way, about trembling: trembling is precisely a sign of accelerated metabolism. When you're shivering, you burn 400 calories per hour—more than when you walk or ride a bike!
The Japanese scientists also agree with the Danish scientists: in their studies, people who spent only two hours a day in a tolerable, albeit cold, temperature of 17 degrees began spontaneously after 6 weeks. Lowering the room temperature for a couple of hours, even to a quite comfortable 18-19 degrees, leads to weight loss. By the way, you can get used to the cold, and after 10 days of experiments, even at colder temperatures, most adults acclimatized and stopped feeling discomfort from the cold (children and older people need a little more time to adapt).
Are you afraid of catching a cold by exposing your body to cold? So know that people get sick not from the cold, but from infections that “attack” when immunity decreases. To prevent your immunity from decreasing, you need to harden yourself and accustom yourself to the cold gradually.
Cryotherapy for weight loss
However, the idea of getting rid of excess weight with the help of cold is no longer so new. For example, in a procedure known as (“cryo” - cold), freezing properties are used liquid nitrogen. The concept of “cryotherapy” (or cold treatment) appeared in medicine about a hundred years ago thanks to the German specialist Sebastian Knein. He was seriously ill with pneumonia, and when he swam in the icy water of the Danube, he suddenly began to recover. However, Japan is considered the birthplace of cryotherapy. It was there that in the 70s of the last century, scientist Toshima Yamauchi successfully used cold to get rid of rheumatism. As a result, more than 80% of patients who completed the course of treatment he developed returned to a healthy life.
Cryotherapy activates the work of the entire body, all its tissues and systems, and launches processes that stimulate weight loss, rejuvenation, maintaining beauty and. A person is placed in a special box into which gas is pumped at a temperature of about minus 130-160 degrees. Cold has a short-term but shock effect on the body and results in sudden cooling. In a matter of seconds, due to the sharp impact of low temperatures, the surface temperature of the body drops to just plus two degrees, and a sharp activation occurs metabolic processes in the skin and tissues, almost instantaneous burning of calories occurs (approximately 2000 per session). Don’t worry, exposure to such extreme temperatures is not at all dangerous - only the upper layers of the skin have time to cool down. a few minutes of procedure is equivalent to losing them during an hour and a half of active training in the gym. But in order for the extra pounds to begin to melt before your eyes, you need to undergo several cryotherapy procedures. Over 10 procedures, weight is reduced by an average of 5 kg.
How to lose weight with cold
At any time of the year, every day, without exception, go to fresh air at least 1 hour.
Open windows and vents in your rooms more often, especially before going to bed.
The air temperature in the house should be reduced, up to 20 degrees in daytime rooms and up to 15 degrees in the bedroom.
Take cool or cold showers in the morning and evening.
Dress appropriately for the climate and weather, do not overheat.
If the temperatures outside are low or just cool, this ideal conditions for efficient calorie burning
Scientists advise taking walks in the cold as often as possible, because, according to the latest data, scientific research, low temperatures favor weight loss by activating brown fat in the body.
How it works
Just imagine: we have special fats in our bodies that burn calories instead of storing them in reserve. Moreover, it is easy to activate these fats: you just need to spend a little time in the cold. Very convenient and simple. Introduced? The good news is that they actually exist.
Science already knew that so-called brown fats help babies maintain normal body temperature in cold weather by burning calories. The combustion process is activated when body temperature decreases.
The existence of such fats in sufficient quantities in the body of adults is quite for a long time was questioned. However, today it has been proven that each of us has brown fats. This discovery allows us to develop a completely new approach to the treatment of obesity. The modern pharmaceutical market offers patients medications that reduce calorie levels. The results of the current study suggest that in the future it is possible to invent a new drug that will trigger the calorie-burning mechanism of brown fats.
People who have such fat in their bodies look slimmer and younger than those who have almost no fatty tissue. Largest quantity brown fats were found in those who were examined in winter.
It turns out that brown fat functions as a heater in our body, converting consumed calories into thermal energy.
Corresponding experiments were carried out, during which a group of volunteers were injected with saline or ephedrine. During the experiment, it was necessary to wear vests with cold water. Then measurements of the activity of adipose tissue were taken. It turned out that the cooling process significantly stimulated brown fat. It turns out that a simple decrease in temperature can help with weight loss without side effects. Scientists do not intend to stop there and plan to continue experiments in the future.
How to speed up weight loss
In general, research in this direction has been going on for quite a long time. So, about a decade ago, both Russian and British scientists proved the direct effect of training in cold weather on accelerating fat burning. Swimming in cool water also helps you lose weight. The fact is that cold weather, like cool, influencing the tactile receptors of the skin, gives us a signal to the brain: “Attention - cold!”, after which the brain sends strong nerve impulses to the muscles. Everyone knows that we tend to move more when we're cold - to keep warm. And what, if not movement, helps to reduce excess weight, if it occurs?
Take off excess clothes!
The famous American writer Tim Ferriss suggests using an unusual thermo-diet. “The human body functions normally, maintaining homeostasis when internal temperature about 36.6 degrees. If you are immersed in a cold environment, your body still strives for balance. To reach the ideal temperature, the body begins to burn excess reserves, which is how you lose weight,” he said. Ferris is confident that using cold can increase calorie expenditure by at least 50%! Moreover, it is not even necessary to adjust your diet.
Tim Ferriss based the thermal diet, by the way, which he conscientiously tested on himself, on scientific data. At one time, NASA medical experts studied the effect of environmental temperature fluctuations on metabolism. They confirmed that cool baths speed up the burning of extra pounds - a similar technique was tested on astronauts. Tim Ferriss offers various options for accelerating metabolism to burn fat reserves. “Instead of wearing a sweater, you can simply tie a scarf around your neck. And it’s enough to add a few ice cubes to each glass of drinking water,” he advises. Here's a fact that can undoubtedly inspire those who want to lose weight: just by getting rid of excess clothes and giving up warm drinks, Ferris managed to lose 8 kg in 12 weeks! And a daily half-hour cool shower, according to the experimenter, is an ideal thermo-diet.
Opinion of nutritionists and therapists
Research findings that cold affects fat burning are certainly encouraging for those who want to lose weight. But still, nutritionists clarify: even if the activation of brown fats really helps burn calories, this is not a panacea for excess weight. Still, in order to definitely lose weight, it would be harmless to add to your stay in the cold physical exercise And proper nutrition. Therapists, for their part, warn: you should still be careful when walking along cold streets, especially if you are an unprepared person and not particularly seasoned.
Today I want to touch on the topic losing weight and consider what factors positively influence burning subcutaneous fat And weight loss, Namely, in this article I will look at the positive effects of cold on weight loss. Many already know that this is very effective way losing weight. Let's take a closer look at how such different concepts as cold and weight loss
Scientists have long known the positive effects of cold on fat burning. Swimming in cool water is also beneficial influences weight loss, this has been proven by numerous studies conducted by both foreign and Russian scientists. NASA expert Ray Kronis conducted research on the effect of temperature on metabolism in astronauts and confirmed that cool baths speed up metabolism.
You've probably noticed when you're freezing, for example, you're in a cold room where there's no heating, you've noticed that your skin seems to become elastic and covered in goosebumps, as if your skin is stretching. At this time, a signal “beware of the cold” goes to the brain and the brain, in turn, sends strong nerve impulses to the muscles.
In the process of evolution, the body is accustomed to adapting to cold and the excess fat that is deposited in the body is also designed to “warm” our body.
At a time when the body is freezing, all processes in the body begin to work faster and metabolism accelerates, which in turn leads to accelerated burning of subcutaneous fat.
For normal functioning of the body, the body temperature is maintained at around 36.6 degrees. When the body suddenly finds itself in a cold environment, the body still strives for balance and in order to reach the desired temperature, the body actively burns subcutaneous fat.
But there is one thing, the body must suddenly go from heat to cold (5-10 degrees Celsius) and not stay there for too long, otherwise if it stays in the cold for a long time, the body will gradually begin to slow down metabolism and fat burning in order to save energy.
You don’t need to go out into the cold, just a temperature of 5-10 degrees Celsius and stay at this temperature for no more than 15 minutes 3 times a day.
Also, keep your home at a cool temperature at all times. Don't make it too hot at home, 20-23 degrees Celsius will be enough for the body to work at a slightly lower temperature. high mode fat burning.
Conduct your workouts in a cool room.
Take a cool shower at least once a day. Don’t be afraid to freeze when, for example, changing clothes, fat is also burned at this time.
I believe that the “thermodiet” is effective way to lose weight, noticed on myself. But also do not forget that nutrition is the most important factor in losing weight.
You can leave your questions in the comments.
