Research
Energy balance
Cold exposure induces adaptive thermogenesis primarily through non-shivering thermogenesis (NST) mediated by brown adipose tissue (BAT) and UCP1, regulated by the hypothalamus.
Exposure to cold temperatures can activate brown fat, which burns calories to generate heat. This process, called non-shivering thermogenesis, is regulated by your hypothalamus. While not a replacement for diet and exercise, leveraging cold exposure (like cooler room temps) may support metabolic health.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Adaptive thermogenesis is regulated thermogenesis in response to environmental changes such as a caloric surplus or cold temperatures... Brown and beige adipose tissues have been defined and characterized extensively in both humans and rodents as thermogenic organs. Thermogenic adipocytes highly express uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1)...
Why this rating
Well-established mechanism in rodent models, with increasing evidence in humans.
Source
Hypothalamic control of energy expenditure and thermogenesis
Trung Le Tran et al. · Experimental & Molecular Medicine · 2022
DOI 10.1038/s12276-022-00741-z
narrative_reviewCited 199×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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