Are women and men unequal in the face of the cold? Michel Cymes responds: Current Woman The MAG

It has inevitably been seen: temperatures are dropping. Faced with this phenomenon, some people redouble their efforts to warm up, by superimposing several layers of clothing, by increasing the heating or by avoiding going out as much as possible. Others, meanwhile, do not seem to be suffering from this climate change. Yes, because we would not all be equal in the face of the cold!

Sure RTL, Michel Cymes tried to explain this phenomenon : "Several parameters have an impact on reluctance: experience, genetic heritage or even thyroid, the functioning of which influences the perception of temperature, and the percentage of fat ", he said on December 30.

The lifestyle would also have an impact on the feeling of cold. Playing sports thus allows "to develop musculature and increase basal metabolism. This influences the body's energy consumption (…) At rest, the athlete will always produce more heat than the one who is used to staying in his sofa for hours ", he detailed.

Sensation of cold: a hormonal explanation?

Some people are therefore more cautious than others. A difference which would exist in particular between certain men and certain women. In question ? Physiological reasons, which science has been interested in on several occasions.

Michel Cymes explains that the feeling of cold is often accentuated in women for hormonal reasons. "One of the major differences between man and woman is the production of testosterone, which helps regulate cold receptive molecules. Monsieur produces much more than Madame, which explains why he is less cautious. The cold is also a question of hormones ", he said.

A supposed difference that divides

Several studies have already looked at this supposed difference between women and men. And not all scientists agree on this! For the purposes of work published in 2000 in the Journal of applied physiology, Canadian researchers suggested that 6 women and 5 men with similar body fat levels immerse themselves in an 18 ° C bath for 90 minutes to compare their thermal response. Conclusion: "No significant difference between the sexes appeared", is it written in the study.

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