Ice-packs have long been used to prevent swelling in sports injuries but now scientists have shown that they can also help people lose weight.
Simply strapping an ice-pack to a fatty area for just 30 minutes can burn away calories.
The cold compress works by triggering the body into turning flabby white fat into calorie- burning "beige" fat.
Humans have two types of fat tissue. White fat, associated with chubby stomachs and hips, circulates in the blood to fuel muscle activity, whereas brown fat generates heat. The colder you become, the more brown fat disappears.
Scientists have found that when white fat gets very cold it can turn into a brown fat, which researchers have dubbed "beige". And beige fat can burn away to generate heat.
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