Does swimming in cold water burn brown fat?
Rachel Hernandez
Published Mar 06, 2026
Does swimming in cold water burn brown fat?
Some medical studies have shown a correlation of white blood cell counts in cold weather swimmers than other swimmers. Cold weather swimmers swear that they have increased “brown fat”, which is considerably better than “white fat”. Brown fat burns more calories and increases heat production in the cells.
How many calories does swimming in cold water burn?
For example, say you weigh 70kg and are swimming at a moderate intensity (MET = 8) then you would burn through 588 calories in an hour, but if you drop the temperature by 13 degrees, this could increase by 41%, so an additional 241 calories.
Does swimming in cold water burn more fat?
‘ According to Harper, a cold swim increases your basal metabolic rate, meaning you burn off more calories afterwards. And reports of a more robust immune system are common among the winter-swimming community, which is growing in number overseas and in the UK.
How brown fat burns calories when someone is chilled?
The sports car stores fuel to burn it, and that’s the brown fat.” The process of breaking down these lipids to release heat, and warm you up is called “non-shivering thermogenesis.” Both shivering and brown fat activity increase your energy expenditure, causing you to burn more calories in cold temperatures.
How long should you swim in cold water?
Be aware that the temperature and wind on land may pose a risk for hypothermia even after exiting the water. In cold water, swim for 20 minutes only before exiting the water to warm up.
Does swimming increase brown fat?
Exercising in the cold, such as swimming in the open in the middle of winter, can increase the amount of brown fat you have. But one quick dip is not likely to be effective.
How often should you swim in cold water?
The secret to acclimatising to cold water is just to swim in it, often – at least once a week, and preferably two or three, gradually extending the time that you stay in the water. Get out if you are not comfortable, and don’t set time goals for staying in the water.
Do you burn more calories working out in the cold?
According to a recent study of 53 men and women who took part in a vigorous National Outdoor Leadership School program in Wyoming, exercising in the cold burns more calories than exercising in warmer temperatures, making it easier to lose weight.
Does sleeping in the cold burn fat?
Study found that they had indeed lost belly fat from sleeping cold. It is important to note that sleeping cold is not sleeping at shivering temperatures, and shivering is not the way you lose weight while sleeping cold. Even at neutral temperatures, you’ll burn a number of calories based on your body weight.
Is it unhealthy to swim in cold water?
There is no doubt that the physiological responses to immersion in cold water are dangerous, and are precursors to sudden heart attack, the loss of capacity to swim, hypothermia and drowning.
Does swimming in cold water burn calories?
There is evidence that cold water encourages the development of brown fat (which burns calories) and clearly, if you do a lot of swimming in cold water then you are going to burn your way through a lot of calories. But I suspect most of us will not stay in long enough for this to have a significant impact on our body mass.
Does brown fat burn more calories in cold water?
The calorie-burning powers of brown fat might be overrated, but proponents of the cold water theory also claim a different kind of benefit for weight loss. Brown fat and cold exposure might actually play a more important role in healing the hormonal dysfunctions that accompany obesity.
What are the benefits of cold water therapy for weight loss?
Cold Therapy for Weight Loss: Brown Fat. The most publicized benefit of cold-water exposure is the metabolic advantage of activating a unique kind of fat tissue known as brown fat. Unlike the more familiar white fat that collects around our hips and stomachs, brown fat burns through calories at quite a high rate,…
How many calories do you burn in the water?
In the study, men who exercised for 45 minutes in 68 degree water burned an average of 517 calories. The men who exercised in 91.4 degree water burned 505 calories, on average. Brown fat is a type of body fat that helps control your body’s temperature. This fat burns calories in order to create heat.