Nutritionist Jean-Michel Cohen warns of this received idea of slimming and recalls the real mechanisms of fat reduction and skin health.
Cellulite continues to be the subject of numerous discussions on weight loss and slimming, between dietary advice gleaned online and well-established diet habits. Faced with this phenomenon of complex adipose overload, supposedly effective solutions for burning fat circulate quickly, often without medical validation. Certain practices even end up becoming reflexes, to the point of being considered essential for refining the figure and eliminating excess pounds. This is precisely what nutritionist Jean-Michel Cohen questions.
In a recent video, the nutritionist tackles one of these methods that have become almost automatic among those who are looking to lose weight, initiate a release of lipids and modify the structure of their skin. Straightforward, he dismantles a very widespread belief by explaining why it is not based on any relevant mechanism of energy expenditure or lipolysis. According to him, the problem comes from a frequent confusion between skin sensation and metabolic efficiency. Many think they burn calories and directly attack fat mass by stimulating the skin, whereas the body does not react in this way during a slimming process.
This abnormality of fat distribution is not linked to a lack of blood circulation. It corresponds to a particular deep fatty tissue, poorly vascularized, on which superficial stimulation has no metabolic effect.
Jean-Michel Cohen points out that the accumulation of these fatty deposits depends on several factors, notably hormonal and genetic, and that it does not give way under the effect of an isolated action. Solutions that work are long-term and based on a global approach to energy balance. He thus evokes the crucial importance of an adapted nutritional program and regular physical activity to draw on caloric reserves.
In this context, it indicates that taking ice-cold showers has no impact on fat metabolism. He specifies: “It’s one of those things that we regularly hear about cellulite treatments, imagining that by passing a spout of ice water or ice on fat, we will be able to solve the problem. No, that’s not true! When you excite the skin by passing a spout of ice water, what you are actually going to improve is blood circulation. However, blood circulation never intervenes in cellulite. Fat is stagnant tissue that is poorly vascularized. There are very few blood vessels, it would be of no use to you in losing weight. So, there is no need to torture yourself.“
To effectively eliminate fat and preserve the health of your dermis, opt for a high-intensity sports session to burn calories, followed by a shower at a stable temperature.
