Cold water immersion increases energy expenditure, but also increases intake and may not be helpful for weight loss. In fact, it could cause weight gain.
Overview
- What did they test? In this study, researchers tested the effect of 30 minutes of cold water immersion (CWI) at 16℃ or 60.8℉ on energy expenditure and ad-libitum energy intake compared to being submerged in water at 35℃ or 95℉ (normal water immersion, NWI) or being exposed to 26℃ or 78.8℉ ambient air (AA).
- What did they find? Cold water immersion increased energy expenditure via shivering, but it also increased subsequent energy intake, and the increase in energy intake surpassed the energy expended during the CWI.
- What does it mean for you? Cold water immersion has been popular with athletes for decades. Recently, it has been promoted for weight loss. While cold water immersion does increase energy expenditure, this study shows that it is unlikely to lead to weight loss due to the compensatory increase in energy intake. In fact, the compensatory increase in energy intake could cause fat gain.
What’s The Problem?
Cold water immersion has been popular with athletes for decades and is gaining popularity among the general population 1. One supposed benefit that has been promoted is weight loss. Previous research has shown that CWI increases energy expenditure due to the increased energy required for thermoregulation 2. However, it is also believed that CWI may stimulate a compensatory increase in energy intake, which would make it ineffective as a weight loss tool.
Purpose
While cold water immersion can contribute to an increase in energy expenditure, it is unclear if it can serve as a useful weight loss tool due to a potential subsequent increase in energy intake that could occur. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the impact of CWI on energy expenditure, energy intake, and appetite.
Hypothesis
The authors hypothesized that CWI would increase energy expenditure and that both water exposure conditions would increase energy intake.
