The science of ice baths, brown fat and metabolism | Susanna Soeberg, PhD
Episode #250. I sit down with Susanna Søburg, PhD to discuss the science of cold water exposure - the topic of her PhD which resulted in one of her clinical trials being published in Cell Medicine Reports. In this conversation, you will learn about brown fat - what it is, how it's different to white fat and how we can activate it. Dr Søburgs also shares her recommended weekly cold and hot exposure protocol and tips for people getting into cold water for the first time. The science of hot and cold exposure is an understudied area but there are some interesting preliminary findings that suggest these practices could significantly improve our health and quality of life. Specifically, we discuss: Intro (00:00) The tradition of winter swimming (01:52) Cold water swimming and activating brown fat (09:44) Dr. Søburg's personal experience with cold water bathing (23:13) Funding hurdles and potential benefits of cold water immersion (25:34) Cold water immersion and the body's response (33:36) Brown fat activation and more physiological responses (40:45) What is brown fat? (45:54) Is brown fat genetic? (55:28) Benefits of activating brown fat (58:32) Winter swimming, sauna, and disease: what the data says (1:01:10) Metabolism and shivering (1:13:01) Brown fat activation and muscle building (1:25:06) Who has more brown fat: Women or Men? (1:36:33) Chronic inflammation, exercise, and more benefits of deliberate cold exposure (1:46:11) Cold water immersion for beginners (2:06:18) The minimum threshold for health benefits using cold and heat (2:15:03) Clothes or no clothes? (2:22:57) Temperature regulation and gender differences (2:26:30) Safety protocols & understanding ice plunging lingo (2:34:08) Outro (2:47:18) Dr. Susanna Søberg is an internationally leading expert on cold and heat as stress management for physical and mental health. She did her PhD in metabolism at The University of Copenhagen. Her research has contributed to a deeper understanding of deliberate cold exposure as a practice to activate brown fat and in doing so, possibly lower one’s risk of cardiometabolic disease. Use code SIMONHILL to receive a 10% discount on her Thermalist course. To connect with Dr Susanna Soeberg, you can find her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn. Head to her website, www.soeberginstitute.com, to learn more about her work. Discover more insights and supporting resources in the full show notes. Enjoy, friends. Simon Want to support the show? The best way to support the show is to use the products and services offered by our sponsors. To check them out, and enjoy great savings, visit theproof.com/friends. You can also show your support by leaving a review on the Apple Podcast app and/or sharing your favourite episodes with your friends and family. Simon Hill, MSc, BSc (Hons) Creator of theproof.com and host of The Proof with Simon Hill Author of The Proof is in the Plants Watch the episodes on YouTube or listen on Apple/Spotify Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook Nourish your gut with my Plant-Based Ferments Guide Download my complimentary two-week meal plan and high protein Plant Performance recipe book