Cold air increased ventilation during the final walking stage
Healthy adults moved more air through deeper breaths at the coldest temperature in the final exercise stage, without detectable differences in breathing frequency or perceived effort.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
At the final stage of light-to-moderate treadmill walking, participants moved more air per minute in the coldest setting, mainly by taking deeper breaths. Breathing frequency and perceived effort did not differ between temperatures. This experiment describes an immediate breathing response in healthy adults, with longer-term health and workplace performance effects left unresolved.
The abstract covers a small group of healthy adults and brief exercise bouts. It does not report longer-term outcomes or establish whether these breathing changes affected work performance.
What researchers found
Mean difference in minute ventilation
At the final exercise stage, 0°C versus 20°C; participants moved more air per minute in the colder condition.
How the comparison worked
Each participant walked in different temperature conditions, with the order randomized. Researchers measured the amount of air moved per minute, breath size, breathing frequency, heart rate and how hard the activity felt.
Deeper breathing explained the change
The larger airflow came mainly from increased air volume per breath. That distinction matters because a change in ventilation does not necessarily mean faster breathing or a higher reported sense of effort.
The original publication
Impact of cold air exposure on respiratory physiology during light-to-moderate physical activity in healthy adults.
Chapman CL, Potter AW, Schafer EA et al.
Physiol Rep · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41776769
- Record checked
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