Research

Energy balance

Cold acclimation increases cold-induced thermogenesis (CIT) but does not increase diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT) or the thermic effect of food (TEF), indicating that CIT and DIT are regulated by distinct mechanisms.

Exposing yourself to cold (like 48°C for 20 mins daily) can train your body to generate more heat when it's cold, but it won't help you burn more calories from the food you eat. Don't expect cold therapy to boost your digestion or offset overeating.

ModerateRefutesMEDIUM confidence
Cold acclimation resulted in increased CIT but not TEF150%. Therefore, it is likely that CIT and DIT are mediated by distinct regulatory mechanisms.
Courtney M. Peterson et al. · Obesity · 2015

Why this rating

Small sample size (n=9), short duration (4 weeks), and lack of direct BAT measurement (relied on HRV and calorimetry), though the design is rigorous for human physiology.

Source

The thermogenic responses to overfeeding and cold are differentially regulated

Courtney M. Peterson et al. · Obesity · 2015

DOI 10.1002/oby.21233

rct · n=9Cited 36×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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