# Cold thermogenesis

Cold thermogenesis is how your body makes heat when it gets cold. It comes in two forms. One is shivering, where your muscles generate heat. The other is non-shivering, driven by a protein called UCP1 in brown fat and 'beige' fat. With repeated cold exposure, small imaging studies show this thermogenic fat takes up more glucose. But that reflects local activity, not necessarily a whole-body metabolic boost. Whether cold exposure leads to lasting, meaningful improvements in body composition or metabolic health is still being studied.

## Sources

- van Marken Lichtenbelt WD, Vanhommerig JW, Smulders NM, Drossaerts JM, Kemerink GJ, Bouvy ND, Schrauwen P, Teule GJ. (2009). Cold-activated brown adipose tissue in healthy men. New England Journal of Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa0808718
- van der Lans AA, Hoeks J, Brans B, et al.. (2013). Cold acclimation recruits human brown fat and increases nonshivering thermogenesis. Journal of Clinical Investigation. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI68993

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_Canonical: https://longevity-switzerland.com/en/glossary/cold-thermogenesis · Part of Longevity Cities · Updated 2026-06-22_