The breakthrough centers on the way the body metabolizes glucose, and hints at the possibility that chilly temperatures can help starve tumor cells of a vital fuel source they need to thrive.

The research was carried out by scientists at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet and focuses on what's known as brown fat. Distinct from the persistent white fat that stores extra energy as lipids to form love handles and beer bellies, brown fat readily burns away energy to keep the body warm in colder temperatures.

The thinking behind this new study was to explore the way activation of brown fat may impact on tumor growth, which relies heavily on glucose. The experiments began with mouse models of various cancers, with the rodents exposed to both cold and warm temperatures. Mice kept at 4 °C (39.2 °F) exhibited far slower tumor growth and lived nearly twice as long as mice living in rooms at 30 °C (86 °F).