Most of What You Have Been Told About Cold Plunging Is Wrong

Three claims I hear every week, the one that survives, and the number the science actually supports

Dr. Susanna Søberg, PhD · soeberginstitute.com

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I am a metabolic scientist, and most of what I see said about cold plunging online is wrong.

Photo by Rory McKeever on Unsplash

Not out of malice. The practice moved faster than the research reached the public, so the loudest advice filled the gap. It usually repeats three claims. Colder is always better. Longer is always better. And it burns meaningful fat.

I have spent my research career studying how the body responds to cold and heat, and I published the protocol behind much of this conversation, the Søberg Principle, in the journal Cell Reports Medicine. So let me take the three claims seriously, tell you which one survives, and then give you the actual number the science supports, so you leave this with something you can use tonight.