• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.35 no.7
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• pp.713-720
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• 2011

This study investigated the effect of cold acclimatization training on body composition including weight, fat mass, and muscle mass with 10 subjects (5 males and 5 females). During the 3-week acclimatization training program, they visited an artificial climate chamber ($15^{\circ}C$) 15 times and were exposed to cold environment with light clothing for 2 hours. Body composition was measured before and after cold training using bioelectric impedance analysis that was later compared by a paired t-test. In the process of thermoregulation, muscle contraction was accompanied by increased substrate metabolism for rising heat production. After cold training, the muscle mass increased and fat mass decreased significantly (p<.1, p<.05), subsequently the body composition changed. It was found that cold acclimatization training could be used as a treatment for obesity. It was suggested that further investigation on the long term effects of mild cold exposure using clothing and its potential applicability as an obesity treatment.