Researchers from Denmark showed that the prevalence of “walruses” the practice of alternating swimming in cold water and stay in the bath or sauna changing the way human brown adipose tissue burns energy and generates heat. Article scientists published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine.
The winter swimming – known as the “winter swimming” – is common not only in Russia, but also in Scandinavia. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen decided to figure out how to stay in cold water affects the body temperature and the brown fat is involved in thermoregulation. To this end, they scored eight young volunteers who practiced the alternation of ice swimming and hiking in the sauna for at least two years. The control group included eight people who had not previously engaged in winter swimming.
In preliminary experiments, participants are invited to three minutes to dip his hand in cold water. In “walruses” cold tolerance was better – less increased heart rate and blood pressure, and skin temperature was higher. Wiping cloths soaked showed a similar result. Then, using positron emission tomography, researchers have measured the metabolism of brown fat when the participants in a comfortable for their temperature. To the scientists’ surprise, the “walruses” – in contrast to the control group – it is not activated. When exposed to cold temperatures of its activity increased in all participants. However, the “walruses” brown adipose tissue produces much more heat. “Winter swimmers burned more calories than participants in the control group, perhaps in part because of the greater heat production”, – said the study’s lead author, Associate Professor, University of Copenhagen Camilla Scheele
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Experts have studied and thermoregulation participants. It was found that “walruses” was lower central body temperature – the temperature of the central nervous system and internal organs of the thoracic and abdominal cavities. The temperature of skin areas that are close to the brown fat between 4:30 and 5:30 in the morning increased, indicating that non-stop rhythm of activity of brown adipose tissue.