People might feel that high temperature works the best when it comes to burning calories, but the new study in the Cells Reports Medicine says otherwise.

Experts from the University of Copenhagen studied eight males who swam during the cold season and went for sauna sessions after their swim for two years, while the other group of swimmers opted for the temperature-specific scenario.

The results were that cold-weather swimmers were better at adapting to temperature change in their environment, they had better thermoregulation.

It was also found that cold weather swimmers had better activation of brown fat – a special type of body fat, which is activated when the body gets cold. It helps to maintain the body temperature when it’s cold.

Due to higher heat production, winter swimmers burned more calories during cooling. It was also found that people with higher brown fat storage had a lower risk of heart disease, coronary artery disease, type-2 diabetes and hypertension.