Effects of cold stress and exercise on fat loss in females

Summary

A Latin Square design has been used to test the responses of 24 relatively fit young women to 200 minute bouts of exercise performed over 5 day trials under each of three different ambient conditions: (i) 15‡ C (warm-warm; (WW)); (ii) −20‡ C while inhaling, from a facemask, air heated to 18‡ C (cold-warm; (CW)); and (iii) −20‡ C (cold-cold; (CC)). In both of the cold environments, special clothing and boots were provided (insulation 0.47‡ C · watt⁻¹ · m⁻² and 0.62‡ C · watt⁻¹ · m⁻²; (4 and 3 CLO units)). All three trials led to a small (0.6–0.7‡ C) rise of rectal temperature, but in the two cold environments mean body temperatures fell by over 1.0‡ C. A large increase of serum ketones occurred under all conditions, and the exercise respiratory quotient suggested some increase of fat utilization, WW (0.85) through CW (0.84) to CC (0.83). A fat loss of about 0.5 kg over the five days was confirmed by hydrostatic weighing and measurement of skinfold thicknesses. This was much less than the change previously observed in men, and moreover, it seemed to be independent of ambient conditions. Possible reasons why cold did not increase fat loss in these women include: (i) a lower relative intensity of exercise; (ii) a greater stability of fat stores in women; (iii) avoidance of caffeine; (iv) a possible translocation of subcutaneous fat to deep fat depots; and (v) a greater desire to “lose weight” irrespective of environmental conditions.