According to a study published in the journalObesity Reviews,overusing heat in the winter could be contributing to the rise in obesityin the United Kingdom, the United States and other developed countries.
According to the authors, from University College London, reducing exposure to cold reduces the need to consume energy to stay warm and reduces the body’s ability to produce heat. The “thermal comfort” implies that we do not expose ourselves to the seasonal cold, that we spend more and more time of our life with a comfortable temperature.
The authors have taken into account the role of the so-called“brown fat”. Unlike “white fat”, this adipose tissue has the ability toburn energy to create heat, and everything indicates that its production is linked to the decrease in external temperatures. With less exposure to cold, however, humans are losing some of this tissue.
? As we spend more time indoors with access to central heating and air conditioners, the range of temperatures to which we are exposed in our daily lives decreases ,? says Fiona Johnson, co-author of the article. This could have an impact on energy balance, body weight and obesity.Lower the temperature inside buildings by a few degreesduring the winter months not onlyreduce greenhouse gas emissionsand therefore climate change, but alsowould slow the advance of obesity, the researchers conclude.
