Objective: The increasing prevalence of obesity is a major health problem worldwide. Several non-surgical treatments are now available that reduce body and subcutaneous fat mass. We aimed to determine the efficacy of mild cold for body mass reduction.
Methods: Novel cooling wear, which induces mild cooling via evaporation, was worn by 29 women with overweight for 4 weeks. Specifically, the participants wore a cooling waist belt and chaps for 1 hour per day. Non-invasive lipometry was used to determine their subcutaneous adipose tissue thicknesses, and the total weight loss, abdominal circumference, and body mass index (BMI) of the participants were measured.
Results: The participants achieved a significant total weight loss of 0.7 kg (0.9%), and significant reductions in BMI (0.2 kg/m2) and abdominal circumference (1.9 cm, 1.7%). Furthermore, there was a trend towards a reduction in abdominal subcutaneous fat thickness and a significant reduction in thickness of the anterior thigh was noted. A questionnaire-based evaluation indicated high usability and comfort of the cooling wear.
Conclusion: There is a high and growing demand for non-invasive treatment strategies for obesity. Cooling wear represents a novel and promising approach that may be of particular use for individuals who do not require bariatric surgery.
Keywords: Non-surgical weight loss; beige adipocyte; brown adipose tissue; cooling wear; fat reduction; subcutaneous adipose thickness.