Moreover, besides being aesthetically unattractive and unpleasant, too much fat increases the risk of certain diseases such as heart disease or type 3 diabetes. Therefore, researchers try to find some successful ways to reduce or completely eliminate it.
Probably only a few of you know that there are two types of fat–white and brown. In order to eliminate fat, it is very important to know the difference between the two.
Namely, white adipose tissue is a thin layer visible on the human stomach, on the back of our arms and on our thighs. This fatty tissue acts as a thermal insulator which maintains a stable body temperature.
However, newest research showed that cold temperatures can eliminate fat cells. Namely, it has been found that prolonged exposure to cold encourages the conversion of white fat into brown adipose tissue which helps in weight loss.
Consequently, researchers recommend us during the winter months to lower the temperature on the thermostat for a few degrees, for a couple of hours a day.
During an adipose tissue biopsy, researchers have found that the abdominal and thigh fat gets a brown color in winter, which means that the cold promotes the conversion of white fat in brown.
Experts say that our body doesn’t burn any calories to maintain body heat due to the fact that we reside in premises that are too warm in the winter.
In the winter, most homes are heated up to 21 °C (69.8 °F), but the university “Maastricht University Medical Centre” recommends lowering the temperature to 17 – 15 °C (62.6 – 59 °F) for a few hours.
Moreover, another study was conducted on a group of men, who slept in a metabolic chamber at a temperature of 18 °C (64.4 °F). After 4 weeks of sleeping at this temperature, they almost doubled the amount of brown adipose tissue, increased their insulin sensitivity, and burned more calories.
This practice is also called cold thermogenesis.
- Intense cold thermogenesis would be achieved by wearing ice vests and trousers filled with ice packs. This would cause tremors and burning a lot of calories.
- Moderate cold thermogenesis would be sitting in a room at a temperature of 10 – 15 °C (50 – 59 °F), wearing only a pair of shorts, which is important for the creation of brown fat tissue.
Ice therapy for eliminating fat
The author of the book “The Four-Hour Body”, Tim Ferriss, describes the concept of burning brown fat tissue by exposing oneself to low temperatures.
He suggests that the potential of fat burning can be increased by 300% by adding ice therapy to a healthy diet and exercise.
An astronaut from NASA confirmed this claim for ABC: “In studying the effects of temperature on astronauts, he saw people’s metabolism boost by 20% in environments as mild as 15 °C (60 °F).”
Namely, 90 grams of brown fat tissue can release 400 – 500 calories a day, which is equivalent to a one-hour intensive workout.
Experts claim that the burning of body fat can be stimulated by simply applying ice compresses for 30 – 60 minutes on areas of the body with fatty tissues. This triggers the process of conversion of white to brown tissue and increases weight loss.
If combined with a healthier diet and regular exercise, this method can provide even better results. It cools the skin and causes the elimination of fat cells, which are then metabolized by the body.
In order to use ice packs in this cause, you need to wrap the ice with a thin cloth and place it on the affected area for 30 – 60 minutes.
This procedure should be repeated once a day in a period of 12 days.
Nevertheless, the only disadvantage of this treatment is frostbite, hence, you need to be careful when using compresses and lift them up every now and then.
The symptoms that characterize frostbite are:
- Redness and pain;
- Strong and taut skin insensitive to touch;
- Blisters;
- Tingling and numbness of the skin.In case you notice some of the symptoms listed above, note that you mustn’t immediately warm the area of your body and massage it. Instead, simply warm it up slightly with a blanket or with warm compresses.
Furthermore, people who have a peripheral vascular disease with a lower blood flow, peripheral neuropathy, use beta-blockers, or are smokers or diabetics, should be careful with this ice treatment.
source: http://www.goodmorningcenter.com/
