Core Temperature and weight Loss

Core Temperature and weight Loss

What is core body temperature?

The typical normal body temperature measured by a thermometer in non-invasive sites such as the ear, mouth or armpit, ranges between 36.5 and 37.4. However, this temperature is the person’s peripheral or (skin level temperature) and does not represent the true body’s temperature. A true body temperature or the core temperature is the temperature of a person’s internal organs, such as the liver, kidney, heart, brain, and blood. This temperature is not easily accessible and involves aggressive hospital procedures to measure it. However, there is just a 1- or 2-degree difference between the peripheral and the actual core body temperature. Therefore, it is often neglected and the peripheral temperature is considered as the core temperature of the body. But how, does it link to weight loss and obesity?

The relation between weight loss and core temperature?

It is often a perception that obesity or weight gain is often linked with a person’s laziness or gluttony. However, new research shows that obesity is also deeply related to the core temperature of a person’s body. Therefore, for weight loss, it is often necessary to keep attention to the core temperature of the body as well. A recent study by Italian scientists shows that the inability to create adequate core body heat could lead to a weight gain of 4.5lb (2kg) in a year.

Obese people generally have a low core body temperature therefore, unable to burn fats produced in the body. Therefore, an inadequate core body temperature does not burn up energy to keep a healthy weight of a person’s body, instead, it causes the person’s body to gain weight.

Thermodynamics behind the process

When a person’s body loses weight, the number of fats in a person’s body is not only that is changed. The modulation of the body’s temperature or in definitive terms the thermoregulation also changes with you losing numbers on the scale.

The thermodynamics behind the process is relatively simple, the heat is held in the body and is lost through the skin during everyday activities. The body of an overweight or obese person has a small ratio of surface area to volume, whereas the ratio of a thin person’s surface area to volume is relatively large. Hence, in the body of an overweight person, the heat is held in the body and the process of thermoregulation of the transfer of heat from the body to the environment is slow through the skin. Whereas, in the body of a thin person this process of thermoregulation is fast and therefore, a high core body temperature.

In short, the body of an overweight person also has more fats which act as an insulator to the heat transfer and therefore act as a heat trap in the body.

Weight Loss practices through increasing core body temperature (thermogenesis)

The process of creating heat in the human body is known as thermogenesis. Increase thermogenesis means an increased ability to weight loss. Thermogenesis is the body is induced by the following activities:

• Exercise activities

• Thermic effect of feeding

• Non-exercise activities instead of sleep

However, a person’s body might not be able to induce enough heat so, as to keep the weight of the body to a suitable amount. Therefore, we have given below some of the natural ways that you can use to help you with your weight loss plans:

• Eating healthy food that includes proteins

After eating food, you need the energy to burn the food and help you digest it which is known as the thermic effect of feeding. Different elements have different thermic effects. The thermic effect of carbohydrates is around 10% while that of fats is about 3%. However, you burn the maximum number of calories when eating proteins that are around 30%. This thermic effect of feeding helps in increasing thermogenesis which in turn helps in weight loss. Hence, try to have more proteins in your food next time.

• Taking Cold Showers

Taking a cold shower helps in reducing your body’s temperature, therefore, helps in increasing the thermogenesis effect. When you take a cold shower your body temperature suddenly drops and the body responds to it by inducing more heat in the body to bring the temperature to the normal level.

Therefore, you should try to take a cold shower for around 2-5 minutes daily. This practice can help you with weight loss.

• Drink tea or coffee

Drinking tea or coffee can help in weight loss by increasing heat production in the body. A study showed that the metabolic rate was increased to 3-4% by consuming 100mg of caffeine for about 150 minutes. The effect of drinking coffee or tea can become even more effective when it is combined with exercise. Drinking coffee or tea can help you exercise longer and harder therefore in turn helping you with losing weight.

• Resistance Training

Resistance training is the exercise that causes the muscles to contract against an external resistance. Resistance training will help in burning the energy during and after exercise and thus have a more efficient effect on your weight loss measures. The reason behind the process is that during resistance training you break the micro-tears with the fibers of the muscles, this process cause thermogenesis. Along with this, after you have completed your training the muscles would start to recover, and this recovery process would also require energy causing thermogenesis and aiding in weight loss.

You can use kettle bells, dumbbells, your bodyweight, or the resistance bands to create resistance.

Conclusion

Inadequate thermogenesis or heat production in the body is one of the most important reasons for the weight gain of the body. However, people are often less concerned about it generally. It is important that one also help themselves in preserving a sufficient core body temperature and producing enough heat to aid in weight loss practices. This article covers some of the essential steps that you can undertake to help to maintain an adequate body temperature. Therefore, try to develop all of these practices in your daily routine to maintain a healthy weight.