MASS Research Review

Over 5 million people heard about a study reporting beneficial effects of cold water immersion and cold showers on fat loss and psychological outcomes. That paper has been retracted, but the damage has been done.

Study Reviewed: RETRACTED: Impact Of Cold Exposure On Life Satisfaction And Physical Composition Of Soldiers. Néma et al. (2024)

In MASS, we typically write about newly published studies that are hitting the scientific journals. In this article, I’ll be doing just the opposite by writing about an article, previously reviewed in MASS, which recently got retracted (1). I’m covering this retraction for several reasons. First and foremost, the scientific literature should be treated like a living document – it changes over time, and the removal of text can be every bit as important as the addition of text. Second, it invites important reflections on what it actually means to be “evidence based.” Third, there’s a good lesson to be learned about where you get your information from. So, in this article I will first describe the original study and why it was retracted, then I’ll address each of these points.

As I noted in a previous Research Brief, Néma and colleagues (1) sought to assess the impacts of regular cold water exposure in a sample of 49 soldiers (25 male, 24 female) between 19-30 years old. Half were randomly assigned to the control condition (no intervention), while the other half were randomly assigned to the cold water intervention. The intervention began with a four-hour educational session about the benefits of cold exposure. To assess the acute impact of cold water immersion on perceived anxiety, participants completed the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale questionnaire before and after the first cold water immersion experience (submerged up to the shoulders for two minutes in 3°C water). During the eight-week trial, they did a combination of outdoor cold water immersion (at least once per week in a lake, reservoir, or running water, with a water temperature of ≤6°C [≤42.8°F] and a duration of ≥30 seconds) and cold showers (at least four times per week, with a water temperature of ≤10°C [≤50°F] and a duration of ≥30 seconds). Before and after the intervention, body composition was measured using a multifrequency bioelectrical impedance device. Participants also completed a life satisfaction questionnaire with several domains (health, job and employment, finance, leisure time, “own person,” sexuality, relationships, and living and housing). Participants were instructed to maintain their normal diet and exercise habits throughout the trial.

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