Adaptive Endocrine and Metabolic Effects

This chapter describes the main metabolic and endocrine effects of whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) and more generally, of cold exposure. The ability to mount an adequate response to cold derives from the adaptive strategies developed by our ancestors and, mainly, Neanderthals. The genetic inheritance obtained from the past is particularly evident in specific traits expressed by contemporary populations living or acting in specific climate environments and face up to more or less extreme coldness. The physiologic responses mounted by the subjects belonging to these populations are the same experienced by non-habituated subjects who are exposed to WBC and similarly, chronic exposure causes adaptation. Changes in the metabolic usage of energy substrates represent an important response to cold exposure and, similarly to the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, are driven by the activation of the sympathetic nervous system. According to the first promising evidence, the possibility to modify the metabolic homeostasis through WBC would open relevant novel therapeutic options in the field of dysmetabolic conditions.