Gaby
For a long time, people assumed women are more sensitive to cold than men. But recent research shows that’s not true.
Women’s heat-retention mechanisms kick in at lower temperatures than men’s, a team from the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland found.
In their study, the scientists enlisted 28 young, healthy volunteers without excess weight: 16 women and 12 men. The team observed how each participant’s body reacted to temperatures ranging from 17 °C to 31 °C. As part of the research, the scientists also calculated each volunteer’s lower critical temperature, which is the minimum temperature a person can endure before their body starts to produce extra heat.
The analysis revealed that men begin to expend energy to warm up at an average temperature of around 23 °C, while women do so closer to 22 °C.
The researchers also found that women keep their body temperature more effectively as the environment cools, and are generally better insulated against the cold.
The team suggested this protection likely comes from women’s typically higher body fat, which provides additional insulation.
Key Findings
The authors wrote: “It is generally believed that women feel colder than men, but there are few controlled comparisons. We found that the critical temperature in women is lower.”
The team attributed women’s “arctic profile” to greater insulation from higher body fat compared with men.
Despite this, the researchers did not find a significant difference in the minimum temperatures men and women can tolerate, according to the Daily Mail. There was also no significant difference in the intensity of shivering or in reported thermal comfort as temperatures dropped.
The results of the study were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
