The pursuit of weight loss and a trimmer waistline is a global phenomenon, with countless individuals investing time and money in gyms, therapies, and diets. Among the emerging trends is cryotherapy, which involves brief exposure to extremely cold temperatures. This article delves into the science, claims, and controversies surrounding neuro cryo therapy (NCT) and its potential role in weight loss, drawing upon various studies and expert opinions.
Understanding Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy involves exposing the body to extremely cold temperatures for a short period, typically in a cryosauna or cryochamber. During a session, temperatures can drop to between -200°F and -300°F for 2-4 minutes. This extreme cold triggers the body's natural response to cold, including vasoconstriction, where blood vessels tighten and then dilate upon leaving the chamber, improving blood flow and promoting healing. While cold therapy (that involves use of ice packs and cold-water baths), has been used for centuries to ease the pain of injured joints, cryotherapy chambers are a relatively new device. The machines use liquid nitrogen or electricity to chill a small enclosed space down to a mind-numbing minus 150 degrees Fahrenheit or even lower.
The Claimed Benefits of Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy is lauded for various benefits, including:
- Reduced Inflammation: The cold temperatures can help reduce inflammation, aiding in faster recovery from workouts and injuries.
- Enhanced Mood: Cryotherapy can trigger the release of endorphins, which can improve mood and overall well-being.
- Improved Skin Health: Some proponents claim that cryotherapy can improve skin tone and reduce signs of aging due to increased collagen production.
The Neurology Weight-Loss Shot
Melissa K. had been living with headaches for nearly half her life. The migraines were so intense that she used to joke, “I could set my calendar by the pain.” She tried everything-strict diets, over-the-counter pills, herbal teas, even cold-plunge therapy. The scale moved up and down, but the pain stayed. At her first visit, Melissa met Dr. Edgar. “Most people think of weight as just calories and exercise,” Dr. Edgar told her with a smile. “But your brain is the command center for hunger, stress, and pain. That statement struck Melissa. Dr. Edgar and her team began Melissa’s plan with a GLP-1-based weekly injection-a modern medication that helps the brain regulate hunger, insulin, and inflammation. But the treatment didn’t stop there. “We monitor more than weight,” Dr. Edgar explained during a follow-up. Melissa noticed the difference within weeks. “It’s like someone turned the brightness back up in my life,” she said, laughing. “I still have the same job, same stress-but my brain feels clear. Dr. Edgar smiled. “It makes sense. When inflammation drops, the brain’s pain pathways calm. Recent studies back this up: lowering body inflammation and stabilizing blood sugar can reduce the frequency of neurovascular headaches by up to 50%. Most clinics see weight loss as a cosmetic issue. “When patients lose weight under neurological supervision,” Dr. Melissa nodded. “I didn’t realize my brain was fighting me before. Losing weight and reducing the waistline are among the most common problems that people across the world face.
Cryotherapy and Weight Loss: The Theory
One of the key theories behind cryotherapy and weight loss is that the extreme cold forces the body to work harder to maintain its core temperature. This process, known as thermogenesis, burns calories. The body stores brown fat, also called brown adipose tissue, which is activated when we are cold. Brown fat makes up a smaller percentage of fat stored in our bodies; most of it is made up of white fat. The primary role of white fat is not to warm us but to store energy.
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Researchers who analysed the weight-loss method said it is beneficial for the body. "Our results indicate that whole body cryostimulation is beneficial in the treatment of obesity. The improvements in blood fats and glucose were particularly striking," Dr Jacopo Fontana of the Istituto Auxologico Piancavallo in Verbania in Italy was quoted as saying by New York Post.
Scientific Studies and Results
To test its potential for treating obesity, Mr Fontana and his team carried out the cryotherapy experiment on 29 men and women. These participants were divided into two groups. While one of them received cryotherapy, other was given "sham" sessions. Both the groups, however, were told to follow diet plan and exercise. Researchers found that cholesterol levels were lowered in both the groups, but the percentage of reduction in the cryotherapy group was roughly double that of the sham-therapy group. Total cholesterol, for example, fell 20.2 per cent in those who were given cryotherapy, but only 9.4 per cent in the other group.
The results were presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Dublin and also showed reduction in waist measurement - 5.6 per cent in cryotherapy group and 1.4 per cent in the sham-therapy group.
Doctors believe these results might be due to the subzero temperatures converting the body’s white adipose tissue - sometimes called “white fat” - into brown adipose tissue, which breaks down sugar and fat molecules in an effort to warm the body.
- Study 1 (2020): One 2020 study on menopausal women found that whole-body cryotherapy was linked to reductions in belly fat. However, the study authors noted that these findings were limited to this population.
- Study 2 (2018): A 2018 study found that long-term cryotherapy activates a process in the body called cold-induced thermogenesis. This led to an overall loss of body mass, particularly around the waist, by an average of 3%.
- Study 3 (2014): Research from 2014 exposed participants to increasingly cold temperatures and then increasingly warmer temperatures every night for 4 months. The study started at 75°F (23.9°C) down to 66.2°F (19°C), and back up to 81°F (27.2°C) by the end of the 4-month period. They found that exposure to progressively cooler then warmer temperatures can make your BAT more responsive to these temperature changes and help your body become better at processing glucose. While this isn’t necessarily linked to weight loss, increased sugar metabolism can help you lose weight over time by helping your body better digest sugars that can otherwise turn into body fat.
- Study 4 (Istituto Auxologico Piancavallo IRCCS): Scientists found that the treatment helped improve cholesterol and blood fat levels, reduce waist circumference, and lower blood sugar levels.
The Calorie Burning Effect
While cryotherapy can burn a significant number of calories in a short period, it is not a magic bullet for weight loss. This is comparable to the caloric expenditure of a high-intensity workout. However, the exact number can vary based on factors like individual metabolism and the specific conditions of the session.
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Cryotherapy as a Supplementary Tool
While cryotherapy can contribute to caloric burn, it's essential to view it as a supplementary tool rather than a primary weight loss strategy. Sustainable weight loss requires a combination of regular physical activity, a balanced diet, and healthy lifestyle choices. Cryotherapy can complement these efforts by potentially enhancing metabolism, reducing muscle soreness, and improving recovery times, which can make maintaining an active lifestyle more manageable.
The Risks and Concerns
Despite these promising results, some experts warn that cryotherapy is a largely unregulated and unproven treatment. The risks of cryotherapy include frostbite, burns, eye injury and hypoxia or oxygen deficiency, which could cause a person to lose consciousness.
- FDA's Stance: "Given a growing interest from consumers in whole body cryotherapy, the FDA has informally reviewed the medical literature available on this subject," said Dr. Aron Yustein, a medical officer in the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, in a news release. "We found very little evidence about its safety or effectiveness in treating the conditions for which it is being promoted," Yustein added.
Side Effects of Cryotherapy
While it has some possible benefits, cryotherapy has also been found to have some side effects that you may want to consider before you attempt to try it for weight loss.
- Nerve Side Effects: Extreme cold on the skin can lead to a number of nerve-related side effects, including: numbness, tingling, redness or other color changes, and skin irritation. These are typically temporary, lasting only a few hours after the procedure. If these side effects haven’t gone away after more than 24 hours, reach out to a doctor.
- Long-term Use: You should not do cryotherapy longer than recommended by a doctor. Long-term cold exposure can cause permanent nerve damage or the death of skin tissue (necrosis). Whole-body cryotherapy is done at below-freezing temperatures, so it should never be done for more than 5 minutes. If you’re trying cryotherapy at home with an ice pack or a tub filled with ice, cover the ice pack with a towel to avoid ice burns. Do not stay in for more than 20 minutes.
- Diabetes Complications: Don’t do cryotherapy if you have diabetes or similar conditions that have damaged your nerves. You may not be able to feel the cold on your skin, which can lead to more nerve damage and tissue death.
CoolSculpting: An Alternative
If you’re interested in using the powers of cold temperatures to reduce fat loss, there’s another procedure you can use to target specific problem areas and get rid of unwanted fat deposits. This machine uses suction cups to target stubborn fat deposits below your skin and tissue and freeze the fat cells to death with temperatures of up to -11 F.
CoolSculpting works by using a method called cryolipolysis - basically, by freezing fat off. During the procedure, a small section of your body fat is inserted into an electronic tool that applies extremely cold temperatures to that section of fat to kill the fat cells. A single CoolSculpting treatment takes about an hour for a section of fat. Over time, the fat layer that you can see under your skin is reduced. This is because the frozen fat cells are killed and then filtered out of your body through your liver a few weeks after you start treatment. CoolSculpting is a totally non-invasive procedure, which is why it’s becoming a popular alternative to liposuction for permanent fat removal. This type of treatment is FDA approved and results have been documented, so if you’re looking for a non-invasive fat reduction procedure, CoolSculpting is something to consider.
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This method works best when it’s combined with another weight loss strategy like diet changes or exercise. But when done regularly alongside these lifestyle changes, CoolSculpting may help reduce body fat.
Expert Opinions
MNT also spoke with Dr. Mir Ali, a bariatric surgeon and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA, not involved in the study, about this research. He said that some researchers have been thinking for a while now that cold can help stimulate different types of fat cells, speeding up the body’s metabolism to break down more fat.
“It doesn’t seem like a practical solution for significant weight loss,” Dr. Ali continued. “Maybe an adjunct to other modalities like diet, exercise, surgery, medications, but I don’t think in and of itself, by itself, it would be a feasible weight loss solution.”
“The majority of weight loss, no matter what we do, is the diet,” he added. “We have to still change the diet, still need to make significant lifestyle changes to be able to see significant results.”
According to Dr. Fontana, the team decided to study the effect of whole-body cryostimulation on obesity because the effects of thermal stress on the physiological responses of the human body present unique features that could potentially be further exploited as an add-on treatment in the management of this condition. “A growing body of work suggests that whole-body cryostimulation could play a role as an adjuvant therapy in various conditions of rehabilitation interest, as it can act as a ‘training method’ for the autonomic nervous system, a novel anti-inflammatory and antioxidant treatment with beneficial effects on body composition and adipose tissue,” he told MNT.