Researchers say central heating could be reason we are fat

According to Dutch researchers our ballooning waistlines could be caused from having the central heating switched on. They believe that the higher temperatures in homes, offices and hospitals means that we are provided with more comfort, meaning that our bodies no longer need to burn any extra calories in order to help stay warm. A Maastricht University Medical Centre group have stated that 19°C is more than sufficient to help provide the right balance. However, some have argued that people will be merely prompted to eat more, if they were to turn down the thermostat. The weight loss idea, proposed in Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism, comes down to balance of energy. People will only gain weight if they consume more calories in food than what they burn off in their day to day life.

The report said people spent 90% of their time indoors and yet "we cool and heat our dwellings for maximal comfort while minimising our body energy expenditure necessary to control body temperatures". However for many people this energy balance is shifted towards weight gain, which will require them to lower the temperature in order to help them burn off some of them calories. . Dr Wouter van Marken Lichtenbelt mentioned. "19C is enough - and not for the whole day. Energy increases were in the order of 6% in mild cold, and in the long term that could really make a difference. It could be a substantial influence and help in combination with food changes and exercise."

Dr Michael Daly, who investigated the issue at the University of Stirling, told , “Studies suggest that in cold indoor temperatures you are more likely to get a stroke, and there is a  winter mortality effect." His research on 100,000 homes in England suggested that people who had their homes heated above 23C tended to be slightly thinner, because the body reaches this point it needs to lose heat – which is done by sweating helping to use up energy. He went on to say that in higher temperatures, people generally lose their appetite and lower the amount of food they consume.

Tam Fry, from the UK's National Obesity Forum, argued: "A cold environment switches on brown fat deposits, which are said to generate 300 times more heat than any organ in the body. They are its natural thermal resource. The heat kept us warm as babies and is still capable of keeping us warm now. Losing weight at the same time is a bonus. Turn your stat down now and see for yourself."