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I started cold water sea swimming a few years ago. I always surfed and canoed in the summer, but started staying in the water through the winter (sometimes with

I started cold water sea swimming a few years ago. I always surfed and canoed in the summer, but started staying in the water through the winter (sometimes with 5mm wetsuit) . Where I am in the UK the winter temperature is about 7 degrees at the shoreline. I know nothing about genetics, in general or about my own genealogy, but apparently it can increase "brown fat" in some people, which burns energy in a different way. Maybe this ability is within all of us and can be switched on? Anyway I have found it easier to manage my weight as a result of cold water exercise.

criticaltinker 5y ago
Highly recommend reading about Wim Hof to anyone interested in this topic. He’s been the subject of quite a bit of research. > A 2014 assessment compared Wim Hof and his identical twin brother. The scientists had them practice Wim's breathing exercises, then exposed them to the lowest temperature that would not induce shivering. They concluded that, "No significant differences were found between the two subjects, indicating that a lifestyle with frequent exposures to extreme cold does not seem to affect BAT activity and CIT (cold-induced thermogenesis)."[28] Both had rises of 40% of their metabolic rates over the resting rate, compared to a maximum of 30% observed in young adults. However, their brown fat percentage—while high for their age—was not enough to account for all of the increase. The rest was due to their vigorous breathing, which increased the metabolic activity in their respiratory muscles. > One 2018 study of Wim Hof published in the journal NeuroImage used a combination of fMRI and PET/CT imaging, and found: forceful respiration results in increased sympathetic innervation and glucose consumption in intercostal muscle, generating heat that dissipates to lung tissue and warms circulating blood in the pulmonary capillaries. Our results provide compelling evidence for the primacy of the brain (CNS) rather than the body (peripheral mechanisms) in mediating the Iceman's [Wim Hof's] responses to cold exposure. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wim_Hof https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wim_Hof
- nonrandomstring 5y ago
  Interesting. So to clarify, would you say it's not the cold per se, but the fact that cold water swimming is just more strenuous and leads to more aerobic activity, which in turn burns more. The "brown fat" is a distraction/irrelevance?
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - graeme 5y ago
    Neither. The study suggests Hof’s techniques were effective but that his body had not had any real adaptations compared to his identical twin brother. Meaning if study is accurate then his success is a mix of his breathing techniques, mental techniques and genetics.
collegeburner 5y ago
There's some recent evidence that exercise can convert white fat to brown (in mice), I believe it was mediated through irisin? Don't remember source. Edit: found the source https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33882700/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33882700/
asdff 5y ago
I would be careful with this. There is a risk of cardiac arrest.
- fulafel 5y ago
  There are studies of the benefits and risks: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7730683/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7730683/ From the cardiovascular section: "Several studies have described a positive effect on the cardiovascular system and cardiovascular risk factors. Cold water swimming appears to have a positive impact on cardiovascular risk factors such as lipid profile [23,24,56] or blood pressure [53]." (This study focuses on the athlete level long duration cold water swimming, but also considers short term exercise, something to keep in mind if you just skip to the conclusions) And it's a recreation activity with a long history in some parts: https://www.theguardian.com/global/2018/dec/23/the-big-chill-the-health-benefits-of-swimming-in-ice-water https://www.theguardian.com/global/2018/dec/23/the-big-chill... It's mostly good for you, but like many kinds of exercise and physical exertion you can also have adverse effects if you have poor health and/or get foolhardy before learning to do it.
  - nonrandomstring 5y ago
    Thank you for these. It instinctively _feels_ a good form of exercise. But good to know there's some science out there and I'm not just a maladapted masochist with a broken thermostat.
  - asdff 5y ago
    Even if I were doing it every day I wouldn't do it past 45 years old or so. There are people who have done this regularly for years then one day they have a heart attack. I'm not rolling those dice.
    - fulafel 5y ago
      Well, the only way to ensure you never get a heart attack doing something strenuous is never do anything strenuous.

criticaltinker 5y ago

Highly recommend reading about Wim Hof to anyone interested in this topic. He’s been the subject of quite a bit of research. > A 2014 assessment compared Wim Hof and his identical twin brother. The scientists had them practice Wim's breathing exercises, then exposed them to the lowest temperature that would not induce shivering. They concluded that, "No significant differences were found between the two subjects, indicating that a lifestyle with frequent exposures to extreme cold does not seem to affect BAT activity and CIT (cold-induced thermogenesis)."[28] Both had rises of 40% of their metabolic rates over the resting rate, compared to a maximum of 30% observed in young adults. However, their brown fat percentage—while high for their age—was not enough to account for all of the increase. The rest was due to their vigorous breathing, which increased the metabolic activity in their respiratory muscles. > One 2018 study of Wim Hof published in the journal NeuroImage used a combination of fMRI and PET/CT imaging, and found: forceful respiration results in increased sympathetic innervation and glucose consumption in intercostal muscle, generating heat that dissipates to lung tissue and warms circulating blood in the pulmonary capillaries. Our results provide compelling evidence for the primacy of the brain (CNS) rather than the body (peripheral mechanisms) in mediating the Iceman's [Wim Hof's] responses to cold exposure. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wim_Hof https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wim_Hof

nonrandomstring 5y ago
Interesting. So to clarify, would you say it's not the cold per se, but the fact that cold water swimming is just more strenuous and leads to more aerobic activity, which in turn burns more. The "brown fat" is a distraction/irrelevance?
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- graeme 5y ago
  Neither. The study suggests Hof’s techniques were effective but that his body had not had any real adaptations compared to his identical twin brother. Meaning if study is accurate then his success is a mix of his breathing techniques, mental techniques and genetics.

collegeburner 5y ago

There's some recent evidence that exercise can convert white fat to brown (in mice), I believe it was mediated through irisin? Don't remember source. Edit: found the source https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33882700/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33882700/

asdff 5y ago

I would be careful with this. There is a risk of cardiac arrest.

fulafel 5y ago
There are studies of the benefits and risks: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7730683/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7730683/ From the cardiovascular section: "Several studies have described a positive effect on the cardiovascular system and cardiovascular risk factors. Cold water swimming appears to have a positive impact on cardiovascular risk factors such as lipid profile [23,24,56] or blood pressure [53]." (This study focuses on the athlete level long duration cold water swimming, but also considers short term exercise, something to keep in mind if you just skip to the conclusions) And it's a recreation activity with a long history in some parts: https://www.theguardian.com/global/2018/dec/23/the-big-chill-the-health-benefits-of-swimming-in-ice-water https://www.theguardian.com/global/2018/dec/23/the-big-chill... It's mostly good for you, but like many kinds of exercise and physical exertion you can also have adverse effects if you have poor health and/or get foolhardy before learning to do it.
- nonrandomstring 5y ago
  Thank you for these. It instinctively _feels_ a good form of exercise. But good to know there's some science out there and I'm not just a maladapted masochist with a broken thermostat.
- asdff 5y ago
  Even if I were doing it every day I wouldn't do it past 45 years old or so. There are people who have done this regularly for years then one day they have a heart attack. I'm not rolling those dice.
  - fulafel 5y ago
    Well, the only way to ensure you never get a heart attack doing something strenuous is never do anything strenuous.