The evidence
What the studies actually say —
including where they are thin.
Moderate evidence for reduced inflammation and short-term mood lift; weaker evidence for the bigger claims. We report study type, sample size, and an effect size we don't inflate.
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Brown Adipose Tissue Activation
Metabolism · 2020Cold exposure activates brown fat and raises energy expenditure short-term.
Cold reliably activated brown adipose tissue and modestly increased energy expenditure during exposure. Claims that this drives meaningful weight loss are not supported by the data, and we do not make them.
PET-CT imaging study 24 participants Effect strength: Moderate