Office temperatures may affect how much workers eat: study

Birmingham, AL – Can your office’s thermostat setting affect how much you eat at work? Recent research from the University of Alabama, Birmingham, indicates “yes.”

As part of a study, researchers examined 20 participants who worked for two hours in a controlled environment of “normal building temperature” (66° F to 68° F) or a room with a temperature range of 78° F to 80° F, according to an Aug. 5 university press release. Participants in the cooler environment ate approximately 100 more calories than those in the warmer environment.

Researchers said the overall difference was “not statistically significant.” However, after they adjusted for body mass index, gender and “thermal treatment,” results showed that “the participant’s peripheral temperature was significantly associated with calorie intake,” the study abstract states.

In both groups, women ate about 350 fewer calories than men did. Researchers found “no significant association” between participant BMI and calorie intake.

The study was published online in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition.