Perhaps the most famous proponent of ice bathing is Wim Hof, also known as the Ice Man. Born in 1959, the Dutchman appears remarkably vital and has sparked a veritable cult following with his Wim Hof Method. He claims never to be ill and swears by the positive effects of the cold. Is cold, then, an effective method for maintaining long-term health, or does it even have a rejuvenating effect?
To examine this scientifically, a brief digression into epigenetics is necessary. Put simply, every cell initially contains our DNA. Depending on whether it develops into a muscle, liver, or heart cell, certain genes in the DNA are switched off and not expressed. This expression is carried out by an enzyme that converts the gene into a specific protein, which is required for the development of a particular cell. Thus, specific cells arise from a particular genetic pattern. The pattern of these expressible and unexpressed genes is called the epigenome.
This process occurs constantly and enables the continuous renewal of our cells. Our bodies are thus repeatedly renewed at the cellular level over the years. However, with increasing age, this mechanism becomes slower and more prone to errors. Molecules attach incorrectly, and genes that can be read become switched off, or vice versa. The epigenome contains faulty information, and new cell formation either fails to occur or is no longer sufficient. Thus, a faulty epigenome can lead to cell malformations and, consequently, to cancer.
Biological age can also be determined by analyzing the epigenome. For example, epiAge uses a submitted saliva sample to determine age, with a slight deviation either higher or lower, without revealing the birth age. This discrepancy between biological age and chronological age is what matters. If we are biologically younger than our birthdate indicates, we have a good chance of a longer lifespan.
Changes in the epigenome can be influenced by environmental factors. Among other things, diet—what, when, and how much we eat—as well as lifestyle factors like lack of sleep or high stress levels can modulate our epigenome. For example, exposing our bodies to cold or depriving them of sufficient food for a period of time, such as during a fast, appears to have a positive effect on the epigenome. Our bodies then enter a survival mode, which apparently has beneficial effects.
At CECAD in Cologne, which focuses on aging research, precisely this phenomenon is being investigated. Using nematodes, researchers have demonstrated that their lifespan of 18 days doubles when exposed to cold. In addition to living longer, they were also more agile and vital during this time. In another series of experiments, proteins were enriched in the worms, mimicking the effects of certain diseases, such as Huntington's disease, in which cells are paralyzed by an accumulation of harmful proteins. The nematodes were then exposed to cold, and their immobility disappeared after a few days.
They produced more of the PSME3 protein, which cleansed the cells and is considered a longevity gene. Researchers were able to reproduce this effect in human cells in vitro using cold temperatures. Epigeneticists are convinced that cold has a positive effect at the cellular level and positively influences our epigenome.
It therefore seems to make perfect sense to occasionally step outside your comfort zone and expose your body to biting cold. The healing power of cold is, incidentally, also familiar to us from old home remedies. Cold compresses are used to reduce fever, and cold poultices soothe inflammation or swelling. Cold showers have also long been considered beneficial for the cardiovascular system. Ice bathing is certainly very popular among biohackers, that is, people who try to lower their biological age far below their chronological age using various methods.
Ice bathing appears to be a highly likely means of achieving longevity.
