Health Update: How turning up the central heating could keep you slim!

Turning up the central heating may cost a few pounds, but it could keep off the kilos. A new study out on Tuesday shows that people who live in warm homes are less likely to be fat and tend to have lower body mass index (BMI) levels than those who shiver through winter. Researchers at the University of Stirling in Scotland have uncovered a direct link between higher temperatures and lower levels of body fat in a 13-year study involving more than 100,000 adults who rely on central heating. They claim It is not just what we eat and how much exercise we do that determines how heavy we are - the temperature at which people heat their homes could have a major impact on whether they can keep to their ideal body weight, the study suggests. In recent years scientists have suggested that warmer indoor temperatures have been a major contributing factor to rises in obesity levels in the US, Canada, UK and Europe. However, researchers from Stirling Management School's Behavioural Science Centre show that the opposite appears to be the case - there is a direct link between higher temperatures and lower levels of body fat. The study used BMI levels to indicate levels of body fat and noted those who live in well-heated homes are more likely to have low BMI levels, while people who spend less time with their heating turned up - or on at all - tend to be heavier. Study co-author Dr Michael Daly, a behavioural scientist, said: 'We set out to investigate the scientific claims that cooler indoor temperatures help us maintain a healthy weight by pushing our bodies to expend more energy through shivering and generating heat through tissues. 'In fact, the research suggests people may eat less and burn more energy when residing in a warmer indoor environment.' The study takes into account factors such as excessive calorie intake and low levels of physical activity, but it is the first to examine the association between indoor household temperature and population BMI levels. Dr Daly said: 'We contrasted BMI levels for people living in different temperature groups in England and found reduced weight levels among people living in homes heated to above 73.4 degrees Fahrenheit (23 degrees Celsius), which was reflective of about 15,000 of the households studied. 'This research suggests the obesity epidemic could worsen where heating is turned down below comfortable levels, or off, for lengthy periods to cut costs. 'This is not just about people who live in well-heated homes being in the financial position to afford more expensive low-calorie foods, exercise classes and sporting activities and therefore finding it easier to maintain a low BMI level. The study took age, gender, social class and other factors into account. 'The comfortable ambient temperature of 68.5-73.4 degrees Fahrenheit (20.3-23 degrees Celsius) is where we feel comfortable in our clothes and are neither hot, nor cold. At temperatures above this we expend more energy and we eat less because our appetite is suppressed.' The study is published in the international science journal Obesity.