Can you lose weight by shivering in the cold? It turns out it's related to this

The cold weather doesn’t just cause colds and runny noses, it may also be a good opportunity to lose weight! American research shows that when we shiver in cold weather, our muscles contract and produce irisin, which can increase the body's brown fat and help increase metabolism.

If you want to burn fat, besides exercising, just shivering may also help. National Geographic magazine reported that a US study showed that spending 15 minutes in the cold boosted metabolism to the same degree as an hour of exercise. Whether it is exercise or cold weather, it has an impact on our fat.

White fat is easy to accumulate and brown fat can produce heat

Human body fat is divided into white fat and brown fat. White fat tends to accumulate in the lower abdomen, thighs, and buttocks, making us look bloated and obese; brown fat is responsible for generating heat energy and burning calories. However, adults generally have less brown fat than babies, but thin adults have more brown fat.

Muscle contraction produces irisin, increases brown fat

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the United States once conducted a study in which 10 healthy adult men and women were asked to exercise in a temperature of 18 degrees Celsius. The subjects were then asked to lie in an environment of 12 degrees Celsius to make them shiver with cold. In both cases, the subjects experienced muscle contractions and produced a hormone called irisin, which increases body heat and converts white fat into brown fat. The research was published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

In fact, in 2012, scientists discovered that the skeletal muscles of mice produce irisin during exercise, which can increase brown fat. After further research, it was found that in addition to exercise, the mechanism that promotes the production of irisin is also the action of "shivering".

When the weather is cold, the human body has three mechanisms to keep warm: vasoconstriction, non-shivering heat production (through the metabolism of substances such as brown fat), and shivering. Among them, shivering contracts muscle fibers to generate enough heat energy to maintain body temperature. Both shivering and exercise cause muscle contraction, which produces irisin, which moves through the blood and converts white fat into brown fat.

Irisin needs more research. Eating less and exercising more can help you lose weight.

Irisin may not only help with weight loss, but may also be used to improve diabetes and fatty liver in the future. People are reminded that if they want to lose weight, they should focus on reducing calorie intake, eating a balanced diet, and exercising regularly to lose weight healthily and effectively.