Room Temperature Effects on Calorie Burn in Obesity

No longer recruiting at 1 trial location

Overseen By Kong Y Chen, Ph.D.

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

Must not be taking: Antihypertensives, Metabolism-altering

Disqualifiers: Thyroid disorders, Cardiovascular disease, Diabetes, Liver disease, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 1

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial examines how different room temperatures affect calorie burning, focusing on brown fat, which helps keep the body warm. Researchers aim to determine if colder environments can trigger brown fat to burn more calories, potentially explaining why some people gain weight more easily than others. Healthy individuals who identify as non-Hispanic white or African American, with stable weight and no known metabolic health conditions, may qualify for this study. Participants will spend time in rooms with varying temperatures while researchers monitor their calorie burning and body responses. As an unphased study, this trial offers a unique opportunity to contribute to understanding how environmental factors influence metabolism.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

Yes, you will need to stop taking any medications, dietary supplements, or alternative therapies that are known to alter energy metabolism before participating in this trial.

What prior data suggests that room temperatures are safe for studying calorie burn in obesity?

Research shows that studying how room temperatures affect calorie burning in people uses non-invasive methods, meaning it doesn't involve surgery or entering the body. Participants experience temperatures ranging from about 61 to 88 degrees Fahrenheit. During this time, researchers monitor body temperature, activity, calorie burning, and how hot or cold participants feel.

Although specific safety data for humans is lacking, these methods are generally considered safe because they involve normal room temperature changes. These temperatures are common and shouldn't cause harm, similar to adjusting a thermostat at home. The goal is to learn how different temperatures affect calorie burning.

In animal studies, similar temperature changes have increased energy use without causing harm. This suggests that the study's methods should be well-tolerated by humans. Researchers closely observe participants to ensure their comfort and safety. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about examining room temperature effects on calorie burn in obesity because this approach is non-invasive and focuses on environmental modification instead of medication or surgery. Unlike traditional treatments like diet, exercise, or weight-loss drugs, this method explores how adjusting the ambient temperature can naturally boost metabolism. This innovative angle could potentially offer an accessible and simple way to enhance calorie burning and support weight management, especially for groups that might struggle with conventional methods.

What evidence suggests that room temperatures could be effective for calorie burn in obesity?

This trial will explore the effects of room temperature on calorie burn in different groups. Research has shown that cooler room temperatures can increase calorie burn. The body uses extra energy to stay warm, activating brown fat—a special type of fat that burns calories to produce heat. Some studies have found that cold temperatures can increase calorie expenditure. However, other studies suggest that even with increased calorie burn, weight loss might not occur because of increased food intake. Overall, promising evidence indicates that cooler temperatures can boost calorie burning, potentially aiding in obesity management. ^{3 4 6 7 8}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Kong Y Chen, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

Healthy men aged 18-35 or 55-75 and healthy women aged 18-35, who are non-Hispanic whites or African Americans. Excluded are those with high blood pressure, certain BMI ranges, diabetes, abnormal kidney function, recent drug/alcohol abuse, metal implants incompatible with MRI scans, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, iron deficiency and other specific health conditions.

Inclusion Criteria

Generally healthy

I am a woman aged between 18 and 35.

Self-reported non-Hispanic and non-Latino Caucasian and African-Americans

Exclusion Criteria

Weight change >5% in the past 6 months or a trained athlete

Iron deficiency (Ferritin < 30 mcg/L males, < 15 mcg/L females)

History of illicit drug or alcohol abuse within the last 5 years; current use of drugs or alcohol

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1-2 weeks

1 visit (in-person)

Inpatient Stay

Participants stay in the Metabolic Unit for up to 14 days to study energy expenditure responses to different temperatures

Up to 14 days

Daily monitoring (inpatient)

Temperature Exposure

Participants are exposed to different temperatures to measure energy expenditure, body temperature, and brown fat activity

7-13 days

Daily monitoring (inpatient)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for any delayed effects after the inpatient stay

1-2 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Room temperatures

Trial Overview

The study is examining how the body's energy expenditure changes in response to different room temperatures ranging from about 61°F to 88°F. It aims to understand the role of brown fat in calorie burning during cold exposure by monitoring body temperature and activity levels.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Healthy young white men with obesity Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

White men aged 18-35 years with BMI between 30.0 and 40.0 kg/m2

Group II: Healthy young lean white women Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

White women aged 18-35 years with BMI between 18.5 and 25.0 kg/m2

Group III: Healthy young lean white men Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

White men aged 18-35 years with BMI between 18.5 and 25.0 kg/m2

Group IV: Healthy young lean black men Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Black men aged 18-35 years with BMI between 18.5 and 25.0 kg/m2

Group V: Healthy older lean white men Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

White men aged 55-75 years with BMI between 18.5 and 25.0 kg/m2

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

Lead Sponsor

Trials

2,513

Recruited

4,366,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

Cold exposure can significantly increase energy expenditure (EE), with lean men showing a higher capacity for cold-induced thermogenesis (CIT) at 300 kcal/d compared to 125 kcal/d in men with obesity, indicating a potential difference in metabolic responses to cold.

Men with obesity have a narrower range of temperatures for increasing EE and lower CIT capacity, which may be linked to their higher basal heat production, suggesting that understanding these differences could lead to new obesity treatments.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Quantification of the Capacity for Cold-Induced Thermogenesis in Young Men With and Without Obesity. Brychta, RJ., Huang, S., Wang, J., et al.[2020]

The thermic effect of food, which is the increase in energy expenditure after eating, increases linearly with caloric intake, regardless of whether the individual is lean or obese.

Both lean and obese males showed similar postprandial energy expenditures when consuming the same caloric amounts, indicating that individual thermic responses to food are consistent and not influenced by body composition.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Thermic effect of food in lean and obese men. D'Alessio, DA., Kavle, EC., Mozzoli, MA., et al.[2018]

Obese individuals have a higher total energy expenditure and basal metabolic rate compared to lean individuals, due to increased fat-free mass, which means they burn more calories even at rest.

After losing weight through a hypocaloric diet, obese individuals experience a decrease in total energy expenditure, which can lead to weight regain if their caloric intake is not adjusted accordingly.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Energy metabolism in human obesity. Jéquier, E.[2019]

In a study of 134 moderately obese and normal-weight individuals, resting metabolic rate (RMR) was found to be lower per kg of body weight in obese women, but not in obese men, suggesting sex differences in metabolic responses to obesity.

When accounting for fat-free mass (FFM), there was no significant difference in RMR between obese and normal-weight subjects, indicating that obesity does not substantially decrease metabolism when body composition is considered.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Postprandial resting metabolic rate and body composition in the moderately obese and normal-weight adult subjects at sitting posture. Kashiwazaki, H., Suzuki, T., Inaoka, T.[2019]

In a study of 22 adult males, those with a BMI of 25 or less showed a significant increase in body temperature after eating, indicating a strong dietary thermogenesis response, while those with a BMI over 25 had a smaller increase and returned to baseline temperatures more quickly.

Normal weight individuals exhibited a positive correlation between caloric intake and fasting internal body temperature, suggesting that body temperature may play a role in energy balance, a relationship that was not observed in individuals with higher BMI.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Obesity, diet and body temperature. Lanzola, E., Tagliabue, A., Bozzi, G., et al.[2018]

Recent advancements allow for continuous, non-invasive monitoring of energy expenditure in animals, which can help identify new compounds that may aid in treating obesity and related diseases like type 2 diabetes.

The use of indirect calorimetry in this research provides detailed insights into metabolic parameters, such as resting metabolic rate and temperature sensitivity, which are crucial for understanding how different compounds affect energy balance.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Measurement and characterization of energy expenditure as a tool in the development of drugs for metabolic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes. Alberts, P., Johansson, BG., McArthur, RA.[2016]

In a study involving 35 men of varying body fat percentages, it was found that lean and average men had a significantly higher thermic effect from a meal compared to obese men, indicating that obesity is associated with reduced postprandial thermogenesis.

The measurement of thermogenesis was highly reliable, and while it correlated strongly with body fat percentage across all groups, in average men, it was more closely related to glucose response rather than body fat, suggesting that insulin sensitivity may play a key role in thermogenesis for this group.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Reliability of the measurement of postprandial thermogenesis in men of three levels of body fatness. Segal, KR., Chun, A., Coronel, P., et al.[2019]

This study challenges the reliability of indirect calorimetry in measuring diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT), suggesting it may not accurately reflect the heat energy produced by brown adipose tissue (BAT) after meals.

The research found that while glucocorticoids can inhibit BAT thermogenesis, they still increase overall postprandial energy expenditure, indicating that energy typically lost as heat may instead be stored as fat, complicating our understanding of DIT's role in obesity.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Diet-induced thermogenesis: fake friend or foe? Ho, KKY.[2019]

Exposure to a warmer temperature of 27 degrees C significantly reduced energy expenditure (EE) by about 1 MJ/day compared to 22 degrees C, primarily due to lower diet-induced thermogenesis and activity-induced energy expenditure.

At the higher temperature, energy intake (EI) remained consistent with energy expenditure, suggesting that changes in body temperature and energy metabolism influenced food choices and consumption patterns.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Energy metabolism in women during short exposure to the thermoneutral zone. Westerterp-Plantenga, MS., van Marken Lichtenbelt, WD., Cilissen, C., et al.[2022]

Recent advancements allow for continuous, non-invasive monitoring of energy expenditure in animals, which can help identify new compounds that may aid in treating obesity and related diseases like type 2 diabetes.

The use of indirect calorimetry in this research provides detailed insights into metabolic parameters, such as resting metabolic rate and temperature sensitivity, which are crucial for understanding how different compounds affect energy balance.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Characterization of energy expenditure in rodents by indirect calorimetry. Alberts, P., Johansson, BG., McArthur, RA.[2016]

In a study involving 136 older adults (ages 60-88) and 141 young adults (ages 18-35), it was found that older adults have a lower basal metabolic rate and a reduced thermic effect of food, which is about 1% less than that of younger adults.

These reductions in metabolic rate and thermic effect contribute to lower daily energy expenditure in older adults, potentially increasing their risk of fat gain despite similar meal sizes and lean tissue amounts.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The thermic effect of food is reduced in older adults. Du, S., Rajjo, T., Santosa, S., et al.[2021]

In a study of 39 overweight women, the hand-held indirect calorimeter provided significantly different estimates of resting energy expenditure (REE) and total energy expenditure (TEE) compared to standardized prediction equations, indicating a lack of agreement between the two methods.

Less than 50% of the prediction equation values were within 10% of the calorimeter measurements, suggesting that these equations may not be reliable for accurately estimating energy needs in this population.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Hand-held indirect calorimeter offers advantages compared with prediction equations, in a group of overweight women, to determine resting energy expenditures and estimated total energy expenditures during research screening. Spears, KE., Kim, H., Behall, KM., et al.[2009]

Cold exposure increased 24-hour energy expenditure (EE) by 2% in both postobese women and matched controls, indicating a normal thermogenic response to cold in those susceptible to obesity.

Postobese women exhibited a 5% lower sleeping EE and a higher nonprotein respiratory quotient, suggesting a lower lipid-to-carbohydrate oxidation ratio compared to controls, which may influence their metabolic profile.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effect of moderate cold exposure on 24-h energy expenditure: similar response in postobese and nonobese women. Buemann, B., Astrup, A., Christensen, NJ., et al.[2019]

Citations

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Room Temperature Effects on Calorie Burn in Obesity

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clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01568671?draw=2&rank=1

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If brown fat becomes active (burns calories) in adult humans when exposed to cold, then these people would tend to burn off more calories and might not gain ...

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Non-exercise activity thermogenesis was reduced by 150 kcal per day, which was equivalent to 27% compared to baseline levels. However, in ...

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Housing mice near vs. below thermoneutrality affects drug- ...

This is a cold stress that increases energy expenditure by ∼35% compared to thermoneutrality (∼30°C), which may overestimate drug-induced weight loss.