A new study conducted in Sweden has revealed that cold air conditioning helps reduce the growth of cancerous tumors.
Conducted by a team of researchers at the Karolinska Scientific Institute in Sweden, the study showed that cold air stimulates the production of brown fat ( brown adipose tissue) in the body, which consumes sugar that tumors feed on to grow.
“We found that brown adipose tissue competes to pull glucose from tumors, thus reducing cancer growth in lab mice,” said researcher Yihai Cao, a researcher in the Department of Oncology and Microbiology at Karolinska Institute.
In press statements, Yihai explained that the results of the experiment indicate that exposure to the cold may be a promising approach to treating cancer, despite the need to validate this study through larger scientific trials.
The study proved that mice living at a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius significantly reduced the growth of their cancerous tumors, and increased their average lifespan to nearly double compared to mice that were kept at a temperature of 30 degrees Celsius.
Yihai explained, “Interestingly, drinks rich in sugar appear to counteract the effect of hypothermia on cancerous tumors, suggesting that limiting the amount of glucose entering the body may be one of the most important means of cancer control”.
