As Cryotherapy Gains Popularity For Weight Loss, A Warning From Experts

Losing weight and reducing the waistline are among the most common problems that people across the world face. Hundreds of thousands of dollar are spent, either on gym, therapies and diet to get that perfect shape. A lean physique not only looks appealing but is also keeps the body healthy. Now, an unusual therapy is becoming popular among health enthusiasts that involves standing in freezing chamber for a few minutes to super-cool the body. Called cryotherapy, it not only reduces blood glucose levels but also trims the waistline.

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.

It is different from cold therapy (that involves use of ice packs and cold-water baths), which has been used for centuries to ease the pain of injured joints.

In cryotherapy, a person is made to stand in a chamber in a machine that uses liquid nitrogen and electricity to bring the temperature down to several degrees below zero.

A session lasts two to three minutes and the head of the person is out.

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 who analysed the results said there is a possibility that sub-zero temperature converted the body's white adipose tissue (white fat) into brown adipose tissue, which breaks down sugar and fat molecules in an effort to warm the body.

However, other experts have warned against using cryotherapy to reduce weight. 

"Given a growing interest from consumers in whole body cryotherapy, the FDA has informally reviewed the medical literature available on this subject. We found very little evidence about its safety or effectiveness in treating the conditions for which it is being promoted," Dr Aron Yustein, a medical officer in the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in a news release.

The risks of cryotherapy include frostbite, burns, eye injury and hypoxia or oxygen deficiency, which could cause a person to lose consciousness.