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Coventry University study finds ice baths could be making you eat more
Coventry University researchers have been studying the "after-drop" from a cold-water plunge
University news / Research news
Wednesday 25 June 2025
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Ice baths and other cold-water plunges can help your body to burn more calories but a new study by researchers at Coventry University has found that it could actually make you eat more as well.
The researchers believe that this might be because of something called the “after-drop”, where your core body temperature keeps falling even after you get out of the water. Regions of the brain which sense changes in both core body temperature and energy levels may be responsible for you craving more food as a natural response.
Professor David Broom together with PhD student Marie Grigg, from Coventry University’s Research Centre for Physical Activity, Sport and Exercise Sciences (PASES), led the study which tested what happened to people’s appetite and food intake after they spent 30 minutes submerged in cold water (16°C), warm water (35°C), or sitting in a room at normal temperature (26°C).
The study, which involved 15 healthy, active adults (10 men and 5 women) who each experienced all three test conditions over several weeks, found that participants who were in the cold water ate around 240 extra calories more after their dip compared to the other two conditions.
Ice baths and cold dips have become really popular; with many people hoping they’ll help with weight loss. But our findings show that while cold water does make your body work harder and burn more energy, it also leads to eating more afterward - possibly undoing the potential weight loss benefits.
Interestingly, people didn’t say they felt hungrier during or after the cold water - they just ate more.
Professor David Broom from PASES
While cold-water immersion is commonly used for its health benefits such as reducing exercise-induced muscle damage and improve overall health and wellbeing, it’s important for people to be aware of post-dip craving especially if they are trying to manage their weight.
Our findings show it is important to put strategies in place to avoid over-eating after cold water immersion. More research is needed on the after-drop phenomenon and its role in appetite regulation and whether repeated bouts of cold-water immersion can lead to weight gain in the longer-term which has not yet been tested.
PhD student Marie Grigg
Read the full report here.
