ReviewInternational journal of circumpolar health2022
Health effects of voluntary exposure to cold water - a continuing subject of debate.
Review in International journal of circumpolar health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 56 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of cold-water immersion on health and wellbeing: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2025Pooled it
- Factors influencing acute tympanic temperature changes during cold water exposure.International journal of circumpolar health · 2026Article
- Using Organoids to Unlock the Potential of Human Torpor for Spaceflight.Current stem cell reports · 2026Article
- The thrill of the chill: addressing patients' concerns regarding the cardiovascular risks of cold-water immersion.Irish journal of medical science · 2026Article
- Cardiometabolic effects of contrast therapy: A systematic review.Experimental physiology · 2026Article
- Cardiac arrhythmia during cold-water immersion: a self-controlled field study with extended rhythm monitoring.Journal of exercise science and fitness · 2026Article
- Causes and Consequences of Freezing Cold Injuries in the Norwegian Armed Forces from the Soldier's Perspective-A Qualitative Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Winter Bathing: An Ice-Cold Strategy for Improving Quality of Life for People with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Effects of Whole-Body Cryostimulation on Stress Biomarkers and Psychological Well-Being in Parkinson's Disease: A Pilot Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- The meaning of cold bathing in middle aged and elderly people in Sweden - a phenomenological hermeneutic study.International journal of circumpolar health · 2025Article
- Perspectives on whole body and tissue-specific metabolic flexibility and implications in cardiometabolic diseases.Cell reports. Medicine · 2025Review
- The untapped potential of cold water therapy as part of a lifestyle intervention for promoting healthy aging.GeroScience · 2025Review
- Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of cold-water exposure on mental health.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Article
- Preoperative Routine Cold-water Immersion for Lipedema Reduction Surgery.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2024Article
- Cold water immersion therapy: unraveling the benefits and risks with evidence.European journal of applied physiology · 2024Article
- Winter Bathing in Denmark: A Qualitative Case Study on Winter Bathing's Impact on Mental Health.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Article
- Effect of a single immersion in cold water below 4 °C on haemorheological properties of blood in healthy men.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Blood Morphological and Biochemical Indicator Characteristics in Men Performing Different Physical Activities in the Cold-A Preliminary Report.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This review is based on a multiple database survey on published literature to determine the effects on health following voluntary exposure to cold-water immersion (CWI) in humans. After a filtering process 104 studies were regarded relevant. Many studies demonstrated significant effects of CWI on various physiological and biochemical parameters. Although some studies were based on established winter swimmers, many were performed on subjects with no previous winter swimming experience or in subjects not involving cold-water swimming, for example, CWI as a post-exercise treatment. Clear conclusions from most studies were hampered by the fact that they were carried out in small groups, often of one gender and with differences in exposure temperature and salt composition of the water. CWI seems to reduce and/or transform body adipose tissue, as well as reduce insulin resistance and improve insulin sensitivity. This may have a protective effect against cardiovascular, obesity and other metabolic diseases and could have prophylactic health effects. Whether winter swimmers as a group are naturally healthier is unclear. Some of the studies indicate that voluntary exposure to cold water has some beneficial health effects. However, without further conclusive studies, the topic will continue to be a subject of debate.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.