Cold Showers May Aid Weight Loss: Here's How

Taking a cold shower every day is said to help with weight loss. This finding comes from recent research which discovered that exposure to cold temperatures can help the body burn fat more quickly.

As reported by The Guardian (15/5/2026), the research was presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, Turkey.

The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Nottingham and Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) in the Netherlands.

The research involved 47 adults with obesity or overweight. Some participants were asked to wear cooling vests and cold waist protectors for two hours each morning while continuing their daily activities.

The vests were worn over thin shirts and contained cooling gel that was stored in the freezer overnight at a temperature of around 15 degrees Celsius.

The reduction was almost entirely from body fat. Meanwhile, the control group, which did not receive cold exposure, experienced an average weight gain of 0.6 kilograms.

The lead researcher from LUMC, Dr. Mariëtte Boon, said that this research is one of the first studies to look at the effects of long-term cold exposure on people with obesity and overweight.

“Cold exposure can be a simple and inexpensive addition to weight loss strategies such as a healthy diet and physical activity,” said Boon.

According to researchers, cold temperatures can help speed up calorie burning in the body.

Unlike ordinary fat, brown fat works by burning the body’s fat reserves to produce heat.

“Daily cold exposure activates brown fat which uses the body’s fat reserves to generate heat,” said Budge.

He added that the use of cooling vests likely trains brown fat to become more active and has a positive effect on blood lipid levels, blood sugar, and inflammation in the body.