Taking a trendy ice bath—or, as they are formally known, “cold-water immersion”—actually changes the way your cells operate.
This is the conclusion of researchers from the University of Ottawa, Canada, who found that a week of hour-long ice baths was linked to an improvement in cellular tolerance to the cold.
“We were amazed to see how quickly the body adapted,” said paper author and physiologist Kelli King in a statement.
“Cold exposure might help prevent diseases and potentially even slow down aging at a cellular level. It’s like a tune-up for your body’s microscopic machinery.”
In their study, King and colleagues recruited 10 healthy young men and subjected them to cold-water immersion at 57.2 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour each day for seven days.
The researchers collected blood samples from the participants before and after their ice baths on days one, four and seven in order to assess the subjects’ cellular responses to the cold acclimation period.
“Our findings indicate that repeated cold exposure significantly improves autophagic function, a critical cellular protection mechanism,” said paper co-author and physiologist professor Glen Kenny in a statement.
Autophagy—from the Greek for “self-eating”— is the process by which cells break down and then recycle their junk parts.
Kenny added: “This enhancement allows cells to better manage stress and could have important implications for health and longevity.”
The researchers found that, at first, exposure to the ice baths caused disruption to autophagy—but that this not only stabilized over the course of the week, but repeated cold exposure saw autophagic activity increase and signals to remove damaged cells decrease.
“By the end of the acclimation, we noted a marked improvement in the participants’ cellular cold tolerance,” said King.
“This suggests that cold acclimation may help the body effectively cope with extreme environmental conditions.”
In fact, the researchers said, improved autophagic activity may extend cellular longevity and help prevent the onset of various diseases.
As cold immersion therapies become more commonplace, understanding the impact such practices have on cellular mechanisms is vital, the team said.
“This work underscores the importance of acclimation protocols in enhancing human health, especially in contexts where individuals are exposed to extreme temperatures,” said Kenny.
A limitation of the study is that it was undertaken only with young men—further research will be required to determine to what extent the findings apply to other demographics.
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Reference
King, K. E., McCormick, J. J., & Kenny, G. P. (2025). The Effect of 7-Day Cold Water Acclimation on Autophagic and Apoptotic Responses in Young Males. Advanced Biology, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/adbi.202400111
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