Colder or warmer offices could cut rates of diabetes and obesity, study finds

A fluctuating temperature may be better for our health than the 'comfort zone' of about 21 degrees Celsius

(PA)

Arguments over the office thermostat have become part of everyday life.

But a new academic paper suggests abandoning the usual compromise of about 21 to 22 degrees Celsius could help reduce levels of obesity and diabetes as both colder and warmer temperatures increase the body’s metabolism.

For example, a couple of working weeks in “mild cold” could have an effect on diabetes comparable to “the best available” drugs and exercise techniques, the researchers said.

They also highlighted the historic increase in temperatures considered comfortable in homes and offices during winter and a decrease in summer.

For example, a Dutch newspaper in 1872 reported that a comfortable room temperature was between 13C and 15C.

The lead author of the study, Professor Wouter van Marken Lichtenbelt, of Maastricht University, said: “It has previously been assumed that stable fixed indoor temperatures would satisfy comfort and health in most people.

“However, this research indicates that mild cold and variable temperatures may have a positive effect on our health and at the same time are acceptable or even may create pleasure.”

The paper, published in the journal Building Research & Information, said: “The concepts of comfort and health may be related but are not synonyms.

“New knowledge has been gathered regarding metabolic health effects of temperature exposure outside the human thermal comfort zone.

“Mild cold and warm environments increase metabolism, thereby targeting obesity by counterbalancing excess energy intake. Furthermore, mild cold influences glucose metabolism.

“Ten days of intermittent mild cold exposure in type 2 diabetes patients increased insulin sensitivity, and thereby glucose handling by more than 40 per cent. This is comparable with the best available pharmaceutical or physical activity therapies.

“There are indications that cardiovascular parameters may be positively affected by regular exposure to heat and cold.”

They said this “probably” did not mean people should “suffer from discomfort” for the sake of their health, either because people would get used to it or might actually begin to enjoy the rise and fall of the mercury.

“Prolonged temporal excursions outside the thermal comfort zone result in acclimatisation resulting in increased comfort ratings,” the paper said.

“Low or high temperatures in a dynamic thermal environment may be perceived as acceptable or even pleasant.”

They suggested further research into temperature and comfort in “actual living conditions”.

“This information is needed to support the design of healthy, comfortable and energy-friendly indoor environments,” the researchers said.