The Connection of Having a Central Heating System to Weight Gain
Having a central heating system means having a warm and cozy building. Dutch researchers said that the use of central heating could add up to obesity. This is because people stop using their own energy in warming up their selves. They also said that having a slightly cold temperature will help burn more calories.
These researchers also show that because of the latest technology in temperature control, people now have a minimized body energy expenditure that controls internal temperature. The installed boilers is now the one doing the temperature stabilizing instead of the human body. Since the temperature is warm and cozy, people become inactive. Inactivity, besides too much eating, is also the leading cause of obesity in most people.
They also said that shivering during a cold weather has positive effects to the body. When a person starts shivering, the body burns up energy five times that a person in a normal temperature. Burning of energy in the body means burning up all the excess fats and calories. Too much shivering is not that good especially in an office.
They advocate “temperature training” or the adaptation of a body to certain temperatures that most of our ancestors found comfortable. This is exposing the body to cool conditions. The body spends more energy in stabilizing the internal temperature.
A research in Japan shows decrease in body fats after exposing people to certain temperatures. People that spent two hours per day for six weeks in a room with a temperature of 17O C has significant levels of decreased fat. The study also shows that people get used to the cold and shivered less when exposed to a temperature of 15O C.
Experiments are still being done by researchers to see whether a controlled temperature has direct connection to having a healthy weight. They only have a theory which is based on logic that people use energy more when they feel cold. Having a central heating system or boilers in your household is still beneficial during winter. You just have to combine this warm temperature with a little exercise such as walking so that you won’t get fat by the end of the season.
