Aliquot #97: Thermal Stress, Part II: Unveiling the Power of Cold Exposure on Health and Performance
Aliquot #97: Thermal Stress, Part II: Unveiling the Power of Cold Exposure on Health and Performance
Hormesis is a compensatory defense response to a stressor that conditions the body against future stressors. Cold exposure, a powerful hormetic stressor, activates the body's cold shock response, the goals of which are simple: to reduce heat loss and increase heat production. It does this by increasing brown fat and enhancing mitochondrial biogenesis – obvious ways to help the body stay warm. But the downstream effects of the response include reduced inflammation, improved mood, and – at least in endurance athletes – better performance.
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Hormesis is a compensatory defense response to a stressor that conditions the body against future stressors. Cold exposure, a powerful hormetic stressor, activates the body's cold shock response, the goals of which are simple: to reduce heat loss and increase heat production. It does this by increasing brown fat and enhancing mitochondrial biogenesis – obvious ways to help the body stay warm. But the downstream effects of the response include reduced inflammation, improved mood, and – at least in endurance athletes – better performance.
In this episode, part two of a two-part series, I describe the many health benefits of cold exposure, the mechanisms that drive them, and some of the safety concerns.
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Cognitive and mood effects of cold plunge
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Does activation of brown fat boost metabolism?
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Ideal timing and temperatures (how long and how cold?)
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Does cold therapy blunt training gains?
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Supplements and brown fat – fact or fiction?
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Hormesis –overlapping benefits of cold and sauna
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Enhancing immunity with cold exposure
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