Water: Hot or Cold?

Have you ever wondered about the temperature of the water you are drinking should be? Ever questioned why people have a strong opinion about drinking warm or cold water? Some of the arguments for drinking cold water are; it is an excellent post-workout drink, it combats heat stroke, and it aids in weight loss – the idea is that your body needs to heat the water to body temperature and this requires energy. Some arguments for drinking warm water are; it improves digestion, detoxifies your body, relieves nasal congestion, and combats pain. We found evidence for both arguments. Mostly by investigating studies conducted on lactating cows.

Cold water could definitely be an excellent post-work out drink and aid combating heat stoke for this reason: a study in the Journal of Dairy Science involving 24 lactating cows were offered 10 or 28 degree Celsius drinking water for 10 minutes at 2 PM everyday to investigate the effects on respiration rates, body temperatures, dry matter intake, and milk production. The study found water at 10 degrees had a greater cooling effect than 28 degree water as the chilled water was found to decrease the core temperatures of the cows.[1] As your body temperature rises while you are exercising, this study can suggest that cold water would most definitely be an excellent post-workout drink and can help combat heat stroke. However, the argument that it aids in weight loss cannot be supported from the research we found. Another study in the Livestock Production Science Journal, suggests that drinking cold water had no effect on the weight of the cows. 8 lactating cows were given 4 different water temperatures (3, 10, 17, and 24) over a 4 month period and measurements were taken of water intake, feed consumption, milk yield and consumption, live weight, salt consumption, and rumination. They found that live weight was not affected by this treatment.[2] So, we can assume that water temperature has very little to do with gaining or losing weight.

                Hot water could help detoxify your body (sort-of) and relieve nasal congestion. A study in Chest evaluates 15 healthy people who were given hot water, cold water, and chicken soup from a straw and their nasal mucus velocity and nasal airflow resistance was measured 5 and 30 minutes after drinking their respective liquids. The data suggests nasal mucus velocity increased when hot liquids and chicken soup were sipped significantly compared to cold water. They concluded that hot liquids (chicken soup especially) might be superior to cold liquids in the management of fluids in upper respiratory tract infections.[3] Therefore, this study does indicate some evidence that drinking hot water can relive nasal congestion and, in that way, may support detoxifying your body. We found no evidence suggesting warm water can improve digestion or combat pain.

                So, what does all this mean? Not much. The argument for drinking cold water or warm water lacks sufficient evidence. We think the bottom line is; drink water, warm when you’re cold or sick, and cold when you’re warm.

[1] K. (1986). Effects of Drinking Water Temperature on Production Responses in Lactating Holstein Cows in Summer [Abstract]. Journal of Dairy Science, 69(4), 1013-1019. Retrieved March 15, 2017, from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030286804969

[2] M. (1985). Effects of drinking water temperatures on water intake and milk yield of tied-up dairy cows [Abstract]. Livestock Production Science, 12(4), 329-338. Retrieved March 10, 2017, from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0301622685901320

[3] K. (1978). Effects of Drinking Hot Water, Cold Water, and Chicken Soup on Nasal Mucus Velocity and Nasal Airflow Resistance [Abstract]. Chest, 74(4), 408-410. Retrieved March 10, 2017, from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012369215373876