Scientific support for cold showers reducing body fat?

(What The Fast?!) #41

@MelTar currently in a cold bath for the first time…and it’s sooo cold!!!

#42

I’m not that brave yet. How long did you stay in it?

(What The Fast?!) #43

30 min!!! It’s nothing compared to multiple day fasts!! I just put Netflix on my phone to distract myself. My toes were SO cold after and we’re numb for like an hour. You’re not supposed to take a hot shower or anything after, the point is to let your body work to warm up. I did put on a long sleeve shirt and about 20 min later a blanket.

#44

H to the L no!
I’d rather go without food for a week than take an ice bath! The closest I come to cold water is jumping into an unheated pool. Which probably doesn’t count in south Florida…

#45

whoa!! congratulations! thirty minutes :open_mouth:
I’m working up to cold baths but the closest I’ve gotten is a few cryotherapy sessions and about a minute at the end of my shower (but the coldest it goes, which is getting down there these days, so … well, it’s something!).
Did you add ice? are you following a particular protocol?

(What The Fast?!) #46

@Madeleine No ice - I just ran the cold water. :slight_smile: It was cold, but not ice bath cold!!

#47

Still - submerged in cold water for 30’!

You’ve seen Rhonda Patrick’s paper on cold therapy? there are some very nice effects! Are you going to continue?

You generally sleep very well, right? So you might not have noticed any difference in sleep, which is often a nice change for people who try cold immersion. Anything that you did notice?

(What The Fast?!) #48

Nothing really. I definitely dragged today, but it’s most likely because it was day 5 of a fast. I did a heated barre class this morning and was NOT at my best. :slight_smile:

I lost 0.9 lbs overnight, but again - fasting.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #49

Last time I was in Key West, it was so warm that the host of a pool party asked all the guests to bring a 5 lb. bag of ice to help cool off the pool!

#50

I do contrast showers every morning upon waking. First 5 minutes is warm water, and then 30 sec hot, 30 sec cold for a few minutes. Always end with cold. Sometimes I just end off with 2 mins straight cold or other interval to keep it interesting.

I read that if you just jump into straight cold, especially after waking, that your cortisol is spiked dramatically, on top of an already cortisol filled body based on the natural rise and fall related to the circadian cycle.

I don’t have links, but I have a book by Ellington Darden utilizes cold around areas of brown fat, most predominately around the upper shoulders/traps, neck area. This causes your brown fat to activate and burn more calories.

Kind of the same concept of superhydrating with cold, iced water. It lowers your body temp just slightly and you burn more calories to bring your internal temp back up.

I’m sure it’s all small stuff, but combined with other small tweaks and major diet overhauls I can see that it all adds up.

(Doug) #51

Heard a radio ad today for some type of cryotherapy - said you burn 800 to 1000 calories in just a few minutes, increase your metabolism, gain mental clarity, reduce inflammation, etc…

#52

I’ve done a few of those. I have no idea about the calorie burning or metabolic improvement (but I assume the latter; that makes sense) but - wow - mental clarity was off the charts. I feel like I had just had a powerful stimulant.

(Bunny) #53

THERMAL ADAPTION TO COLD (Thermogenesis)/ADIPOSE FAT/ADIPONECTIN/NIACIN (NAD, NAD+, NMN) NICOTINAMIDE RIBOSIDE (NR)

RESEARCH NOTES:

Niacin:

“…The NAD story took off toward the end of 2013 with a high-profile paper by Harvard’s David Sinclair and colleagues. Sinclair, recall, achieved fame in the mid-2000s for research on yeast and mice that suggested the red wine ingredient resveratrol mimics anti-aging effects of calorie restriction. This time his lab made headlines by reporting that the mitochondria in muscles of elderly mice were restored to a youthful state after just a week of injections with NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide), a molecule that naturally occurs in cells and, like NR, boosts levels of NAD. …” https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/beyond-resveratrol-the-anti-aging-nad-fad/

“…Adequate levels of NAD are critical to moving energy around our body, from our food to our mitochondria. Is it the ketones or NAD+ that is really doing the good stuff?
A smart friend of mine, Robert Miller, has been challenging my thinking recently around ketones. Robert’s theory is that the benefits that people attribute to ketones are actually largely due to an increase in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)…” https://optimisingnutrition.com/2015/07/20/the-glucose-ketone-relationship/

“…Another strategy – one supported for decades by traditional healers such as Paavo Airola – is the inclusion of supplemented brewer’s yeast into the diet. Brewer’s yeast is a good source for a host of B vitamins, and while Saccharomyces cerevisiae in brewer’s yeast is typically deactivated (heat-killed), the availability of nicotinamide riboside produced by the yeast will be present in the brewer’s yeast.

This reality was confirmed in a 1991 study by researchers from the University of Tasmania as they found brewer’s yeast not only contained nicotinamide riboside, but also improved cholesterol levels among mice. They also found that the nicotinamide riboside supplementation significantly increases SIRT1 and SIRT3 availability. …”

“…They also found the supplemented mice had significantly more endurance and exercise capacity. The supplemented mice also had higher metabolism and were less prone to gain weight even on a high-fat diet. The supplemented mice also had 48% lower triglyceride levels than the control mice. …” https://www.realnatural.org/probiotic-yeasts-stimulate-nad-increase-metabolism-longevity/

“…Recent experiments have also revealed that brown fat’s benefits go far beyond burning calories. A 2011 study using mice found that brown fat can fuel itself with triglycerides taken from the bloodstream—exactly the kind of fatty molecules known to increase the chances of developing metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that raises the risk for heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Brown fat cells also draw sugar molecules from the blood, which could help lower the risk for type 2 diabetes; chronically high levels of blood glucose wreak havoc on the body’s ability to manage those levels in the first place, which in turn sets the stage for diabetes. …” Supercharging Brown Fat to Battle Obesity Why turning down the thermostat could help win the battle of the bulge https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/supercharging-brown-fat-to-battle-obesity/

Niacin increases adiponectin and decreases adipose tissue inflammation in high fat diet-fed mice. …” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23967184/

“…It appears as though niacin activates the GPR109A receptor, which thereafter bolsters adiponectin secretion. Knowing that niacin supplementation increases adiponectin, a biomarker associated with lower body weight and reduced insulin resistance, it is possible that its increase makes it easier for some individuals to lose weight. The enhanced ability to lose weight following increases in adiponectin could be related to improved insulin sensitivity. …” http://mentalhealthdaily.com/2016/08/11/niacin-weight-loss-or-gain-how-vitamin-b3-affects-body-weight/

(Jennifer) #55

Best source for niacin? Would any brewers yeast work?

(VLC.MD) #56

I’d say no.

pretty starchy stuff.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/custom/1323569/2

too carby for me anyway.

(Todd Allen) #57

Vitamin B3 comes in several forms and sometimes niacin is used interchangeably with vitamin B3 and applied to all forms though technically I think only nicotinic acid is niacin. Each of the forms has different properties. I take nicotinic acid which has been shown to boost HDL and lower triglycerides (why I started taking it) along with some other metabolic benefits as linked above. The downside of nicotinic acid is it causes flushing which can vary from mild, a slight pinkness in complexion, to an intense reddening of the skin and a burning sensation - depending on how much one takes and their tolerance level.

I bought a kilogram of bulk nicotinic acid powder over a year ago and have maybe used half. It dissolves slowly, taking an hour or more. I put roughly a teaspoon into an empty gallon milk jug and fill with water and drink it slowly over a day or two. As long as I sip it slowly I never get a significant flush though I now take care to not drink it when really thirsty and likely to chug a full glass. I’ve come to enjoy the taste, very mildly acidic, and now prefer it to pure water.

It’s inexpensive in bulk though you might seek a smaller quantity to try first… On the plus side for buying in bulk it is very shelf stable with no special storage needed.
https://www.amazon.com/Niacin-kilogram-Vitamin-Nicotinic-Supplements/dp/B01383W1ZM

#58

Thanks for sharing this lecture!