Myth 1: The colder the weather, the easier it is to gain weight.
There is a saying on the Internet: “Low temperature will cause fat accumulation, and the less you wear, the easier it is to gain weight.” Is this true?
Interpretation of the truth:
This is not true.
First of all, the low temperature environment will stimulate the human body. In order to resist the loss of skin temperature, the human body will accelerate the metabolic rate and increase the energy supply. Among them, the main one is to burn sugar and release more energy. However, when the human body does a lot of exercise or needs a lot of energy, and the energy cannot be met by the decomposition of carbohydrates, fat will also be decomposed for energy. Therefore, in the cold state of winter, the fat metabolism rate may not slow down. Of course, people generally reduce the amount of exercise in winter, and the energy consumption of exercise decreases, which is the main reason for the misunderstanding that the metabolism of fat is slowed down.
Secondly, fat has no wisdom, and it will not go anywhere just because it feels cold in any part. In fact, the distribution of fat in the human body is regular. Generally speaking, the place where fat is most likely to be deposited is always the place with the least amount of exercise. For example, men’s stomachs are the most likely to develop a “beer belly”, while women’s buttocks and breasts are the parts with the most fat deposits. There is another part of the fat deposition more hidden, that is the internal organs. For example, the liver and mesentery are higher in fat.
Finally, the human body does not fully adjust subcutaneous fat thickness in response to the external environment. Although people living in the frigid zone are generally fatter than those living in the tropics, this is indeed the result of the human body’s self-protection in the process of natural evolution, but the fundamental factor that determines the thickness of subcutaneous fat is the ratio of energy supply and consumption. That is to say, when the intake is greater than the consumption, the fat will increase, and vice versa. Of course, ambient temperature does affect energy metabolism in the human body, but it is only one of many factors.
Myth 2: You should eat more mutton in winter, which can keep out the cold and strengthen your body and enhance your immunity.
Lamb waiting to be cooked
Many people think that winter is the best season for tonic, especially mutton. is this real?
Interpretation of the truth:
actually not.
When it comes to mutton to keep out the cold, it means that mutton can provide higher calories and more fat. The main reason why the human body produces heat is the decomposition of nutrients that can generate energy. In meat, these nutrients are dominated by protein and fat. Compared with the nutritional content of pork and beef, there is nothing special about lamb. The protein content of lamb is about 19%, which is slightly lower than that of beef at 19.9%, while the calorie and fat content is in the middle of the three, less than pork. So, in terms of increasing the body’s calorie supply and storing fat, it’s the same whether it’s lamb, pork or beef.
According to the recommendations on a reasonable diet in the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2016), the daily intake of livestock and poultry meat is not as much as possible. The recommended intake is 40-75g, and poultry meat is the most good. Although the ratio of calorie to fat of mutton is lower than that of pork, excessive consumption will still bring a healthy burden to the body, so it should still be eaten in moderation and not willful.
Also, lamb isn’t for everyone. Patients with dyslipidemia, high uric acid and gout should be cautious, especially it is not recommended to eat mutton.
Improving immunity is a complex and long-term process, and immunity will never be greatly improved just because you eat one more bite of food, so don’t believe such rumors, which are probably just excuses for greedy people.
Myth 3: Taking a bath in winter, the higher the water temperature, the better the effect.
There are rumors that taking a “hot bath” in winter can promote blood circulation and help the body strengthen its resistance. So, is this true?
Interpretation of the truth:
of course not.
Excessive temperature will destroy the oily surface of human skin, cause capillaries to expand, aggravate dry skin, and even lead to itching and chapped. When taking a hot bath, the blood vessels on the surface of the human skin dilate, blood rushes to the skin, and the blood supply to the brain and internal organs will be relatively reduced. If the water temperature is too high, the brain and internal organs may be ischemia, resulting in palpitation, chest tightness, dizziness and other uncomfortable reactions, and even severe hypotension. In winter, the oxygen content in the air will drop slightly, and taking a hot bath in a higher temperature space for a long time is also prone to dizziness or even shock, which is often referred to as “dizziness”. Moreover, people who already suffer from basic diseases such as high blood pressure and heart disease cannot take “high temperature baths”.
In the cold winter season, taking a proper hot bath can indeed promote the blood circulation of the human body, and can also wash away the discomfort caused by the cold, but it is still necessary to control the time and water temperature. Generally speaking, it is most suitable to be close to or slightly above normal body temperature, say around 40°C.
It is good to take a hot bath in winter, but it should also be considered according to the actual situation. It is not recommended to take a bath at the following three time points: First, after meals. If you take a bath immediately after a full meal, the body will heat up a lot, blood will flow to the body surface, and the blood flow of the digestive tract will be relatively reduced, and the secretion of digestive juice will be reduced accordingly, which will affect the digestive function. Therefore, it is advisable to take a bath at least one hour after meals. The second is after exercise. After strenuous exercise, the human body has not returned to its normal state, so it is not advisable to take a bath immediately, especially a hot bath. Otherwise, it is easy to cause insufficient blood supply to the heart and brain, and even syncope. The third is after drinking. This is because the blood sugar in the human body cannot be replenished in time, which can easily cause symptoms of dizziness, vertigo and general weakness, and in severe cases, it may lead to hypoglycemia coma.
Myth 4: In winter, the light intensity is weak and sunscreen is not required.
Sunscreen is required all year round.
In the concept of many people, the sun in winter is far away from the earth and the light intensity is weaker, so sun protection is not necessary. is this real?
Interpretation of the truth:
of course not.
At the beginning of January every year, the earth is closest to the sun, especially at the winter solstice, which is about 5 million kilometers closer than the summer solstice. The alternation of the four seasons on the earth is not caused by the change of the distance between the earth and the sun, but by the periodic movement of the direct point of the sun. Because of the existence of the yellow-red cross angle, during the revolution of the earth, the direct sunlight point will move back and forth between the Tropic of Cancer, which will cause the change of the seasons on the earth.
The reason for the low temperature in winter is not because we are farther from the sun, but because there is less direct sunlight, so it seems that the sun is not so harsh on the body, but in fact, we need more sun protection in winter.
This is because: on the one hand, winter and spring are the seasons with the least amount of ozone in the world. Without the “protective coat” of the ozone layer, ultraviolet rays will take advantage of this and damage our skin. Especially on rainy days, it seems that there is no sunlight, but the ultraviolet rays reach the dangerous limit. In addition, ice and snow can reflect up to 80% of harmful ultraviolet rays, which can also damage the skin to a certain extent.
On the other hand, affected by the climate and air conditioning, the circulation and metabolism of the skin in winter is easy to slow down, the speed of skin metabolism slows down, and the function of renewal and repair is weakened. At this time, the melanin produced by the skin exposed to ultraviolet rays will be difficult to excrete and form spots.
