If there's one thing that we know about the Malaysian weather, it's that it is HOT. And what is our solution? Air conditioning! We have air conditioning in universities (even some high schools), our offices, and our homes. That would mean being in an air conditioned environment throughout the day, well sheltered from the heat. But, there might be a price to pay for that all-day comfort.

Professor David Allison, a biostatistician from the University of Alabama Birmingham, and his colleagues have published a paper that brings bad news to fans of air conditioning - it might be a cause of obesity.

Hear us out, according to Allison, as we stay in a cool room, our body's temperature will drop to acclimate to the room. For every 1°C drop in temperature, we lose about 12% of our metabolism rate. That is why, the cooler you feel, the lesser chance you have at burning off calories.

Not only that, a constantly low metabolism rate might also lead to poorer digestion and constipation in the long run, which of course leads to bloating and you looking bigger than your usual size.

Besides, have you ever noticed your appetite being a little better on a cold day compared to a hot day? Well, we know that the body always tries to keep our body at a desirable temperature and that means generating heat. This will signal the body that you'll need more high calorie food like carbohydrates and fat foods.

So, for those of you who are thinking about turning off your air conditioner tonight sweating through the night, there's no need to. Just keep the temps at around 25°C or as close to the ambient temperature as you can. Not only will this help your body, you'll also find some lower electric bills too!