Can These Clothes Really Induce Weight Loss?

Slimming aids have taken on many forms, from supplements to apparel. One company wants to add to that spread with a line of clothing designed to "trick" your body into shedding pounds.

"The Thin Ice Weight Loss Clothing Line, recently backed on Indiegogo by more than half a million dollars, is designed to trick your body into thinking you're cold and burning fat to keep you warm," Digital Trends reported. "The team behind Thin Ice is kicking off the line with two items to target areas of your body with a lot of thermoreceptors (nerves that detect temperature changes)."

The first item is a tank top, also called a "vest" - which is how the British call this type of apparel. The second one is a pair of shoe insoles.

"Peltier cooling strips (used to cool compact electronics) and the rechargeable battery that powers them are built in," Digital Trends explained. "Both garments connect to the Thin Ice Android or iOS app using Bluetooth Low Energy so you can see how many calories you've burned and control the temperature."

How does it work?

When your body temperature goes down, your body counteracts this by making you shiver to generate warmth. This process makes you burn more calories - and is something that Thin Ice attempts to duplicate to help you lose weight.

According to MailOnline, the clothing line is the brainchild of ex-athlete and personal trainer based in Toronto, Adam Paulin.

"Based on estimates derived from our prototypes, competitors and scientific literature we estimate that you'll be able to burn between 500 and 1,000 calories a day, just by wearing our clothing for the recommended duration," Paulin explained.

He also claimed that about 50% of one's daily caloric intake is used to maintain body temperature. As such, making changes to your calorie intake level can influence energy expenditure.

He also said that although the apparel lowers body temperature, the user "will not feel it beyond an initial adaptation period of a few seconds." The cold sensation is reportedly just an instant and, after a few seconds, the user won't feel it anymore.

As such, there is no danger of freezing to death as the user can always adjust the temperature of the apparel through a smartphone to a more comfortable level.

However, in a riposte by Digital Trends, it appears that the said apparel may be likely less effective for overweight or obese users. Also, you cannot wash the Thin Ice clothing in a machine - antibiotic wipes are instead recommended.

Perhaps the company will be able to release an improved product in the near future, should its fundraising efforts prove to be successful. What do you think?

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