Acute cold exposure and energy expenditure: a meta-analysis

Researchers combined results from human studies of short-term cold exposure. Participants spent time in cool rooms or other cold conditions while researchers measured their energy expenditure, meaning how many calories they burned. Cold generally made people burn more calories than they did in comfortable temperatures. The studies were small and used different temperatures, exposure times, and measurement methods.

What this means for you: Cold can temporarily increase calorie burning, but the extra amount is usually modest and does not prove that cold showers or cold rooms cause meaningful weight loss. You can ignore this as a weight-loss strategy unless you enjoy cold exposure for other reasons.