Does exposure to cold temperature increase your metabolice rate?

Question

Since humans a warm blooded, wouldn't it need to burn more calories to warm us up when we are exposed to low temperature?

And it's my assumption that drinking lots of cold water would burn more calories again as the body would need to warm it up to normal body temperature.

Any ideas?

Cold as in moderately cold... not freezing.

Answer 1

For the first question, here is my explanation. Our body has thermoreceptors within the hypothalamus will receive signals when our sensory nerves detects a drop in the environmental temperature. then our cells will be directed to produce more heat by several mechanisms such as erecting our body hair and vasodilation. So, our metabolic rate will rise. However, if the temperature approaches below the optimal operation rate of enzyme activities, our metabolic rate will decrease BUT the metabolic activity will persist anyhow. This is known as the impeding factor.

For the second question, i will say no. Your body will have made the cold drink to achieve thermal equilibrium when flowing through the alimentary canals. The amount of liquid you can imbibe is comparatively easier to be equalised with the body's temperature, so no difference of temperature occurs. Hence, no difference in metabolic rate.

Answer 2

Although i agree it takes alot of energy to generate a shiver, colder temperatures may decrease metabolic rate since it would slow down chemical processes. Now this would be at subfreezing temperatures of course, but just another way to look at it i guess.

Answer 3

Yes it does, it takes more calories to stay warm in long exposures of cold.

Answer 4

any chemical reaction that occurs there should be favorable energy change. and also heat is also a form of energy. and while coming to metabolic reactions everything is that of a energy change at the molecular level.
decrease in temperature will allow the aminoacids in the enzymes to decrease their energy and thus change in the structure and ceases its reaction. and thus decreases the metabolic rate.

Answer 5

answer to first question is yes

for second question answer is no since water is only goind inside you belly , so full body is not affected