Taking a dip in cold water may cut ‘bad’ body fat in men and reduce the risk of disorders such as diabetes, suggests a major scientific review published in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Circumpolar Health.
The authors say many of the 104 studies they analysed demonstrated significant effects from cold water swimming including also on ‘good’ fat which helps burn calories. This may protect against obesity, cardiovascular disease, they add.
However, the review was inconclusive overall on the health benefits of cold-water bathing, an increasingly popular hobby.
Much of the available research involved small numbers of participants, often of one gender, and with differences water temperature and salt composition. In addition, it is unclear whether or not winter swimmers are naturally healthier, say the scientific expert team of review authors from UiT The Arctic University of Norway and from the University Hospital of North Norway.
“From this review, it is clear that there is increasing scientific support that voluntary exposure to cold water may have some beneficial health effects,” states lead author James Mercer, from UiT.
“Many of the studies demonstrated significant effects of cold-water immersion on various physiological and biochemical parameters. But the question as to whether these are beneficial or not for health is difficult to assess.
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