Asked by: Lucy Tuttle, Leeds Show A 1997 study at the Yale School of Medicine found that the action of drinking is more thirst quenching than being rehydrated through a nasogastric tube. That’s because the physical sensation of drinking tells the brain that you are rehydrating. That sensation is enhanced if the temperature of the drink is hotter or colder than your mouth and throat because the temperature-sensing nerves are stimulated as well as the touch-sensitive ones. Cold also suppresses our sense of sweetness and commercial drinks allow for this, so drinking them lukewarm makes them excessively sweet. Read more about drinks: Subscribe to BBC Focus magazine for fascinating new Q&As every month and follow @sciencefocusQA on Twitter for your daily dose of fun science facts.
One can usually expect several standard characteristics of the dining experience in America: friendly service with a smile, especially since wait staff work for tips (which has a troubling history rooted in slavery); and getting immediately served cold water, usually with ice. Ice cold water is a preference of Americans, even in winter, and is the expectation to the rule rather than the norm, since other countries don't use ice cubes, as reported by Smithsonian Magazine. The reason may be cultural, since drinking cold water is seen to be bad for digestion and Chinese medicine believes that pairing hot foods with cold water causes an imbalance, according to Heathline. Science backs this up, since cold water can aggravate migraines, make nasal mucus thicker, and can worsen achalasia, a condition that limits the body's ability to pass food. But for many, ice cold water is refreshing on a hot day. Some would claim that it simply tastes better, and there's a scientific reason that explains why.
While different bottled waters have different tastes, distilled water is meant to be tasteless. However, the purity of distilled water is compromised as soon as it leaves the distillery and when poured into a glass. Science ABC reports that cold water can suppress the unpleasant taste of any impurities in water, which are more easily detected when the water is warm. In short, cold water also suppresses the sensitivity of our taste buds, according to one 2015 study. But the case for cold water preference isn't so clear-cut: cold water may actually be an acquired taste. After all, Chinese restaurants will serve water just below boiling temperature and many Chinese people will recommend hot water as a cure for many ailments like a sore throat or fatigue, per Cheng & Tsui. Whatever temperature you take your water, it's always a good idea to drink plenty of it, especially if you're concerned about heart health. Staying hydrated has proven benefits for your mental and physical health. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends that men 19 and older consume 3.7 liters of water per day (15.5 cups) and women 19 and older consume 2.7 liters per day (11.5 cups). But can drinking cold water have a negative impact on your health? Some people believe that drinking cold water is a bad habit that can harm your long-term health. This belief is based on the idea that drinking cold water contracts your stomach, making it harder to digest food after a meal. Some people also believe that your body has to work harder to maintain its internal temperature of 98.6°F (37°C) if you’re drinking water that’s near the temperature of ice, or less than 36°F (4°C). But is there any truth to these ideas? Keep reading to find out the possible risks and benefits of drinking cold water. Drinking cold water does affect your body in ways you might not anticipate or want. An older and small study from 1978, involving 15 people, found that drinking cold water made nasal mucous thicker and more difficult to pass through the respiratory tract. By comparison, the researchers found that chicken soup and hot water helped people breathe more easily. If you’re trying to treat a cold or flu, drinking cold water might make your congestion feel worse. There are some health conditions that drinking cold water can aggravate. Research from 2001 linked drinking cold water with triggering migraine in people who already experience migraine. The pain related to achalasia, a condition that limits your body’s ability to pass food through your esophagus, can also get worse when you drink cold water with a meal, according to a 2012 study. In traditional Chinese medicine, drinking cold water with hot food is believed to create an imbalance. Typically, meals in the Chinese culture are served with warm water or hot tea, instead. This belief is mirrored in several other cultures around the world. Some people hold a similar belief that drinking cold water on a hot day won’t help cool you down. There isn’t enough research to conclude that either belief is true or false. Drinking cold water does have benefits. According to a 2012 study, drinking cold water during exercise can help keep your body from overheating and make your workout session more successful. This is probably because drinking cold water makes it easier for your body to maintain a lower core temperature. Can drinking cold water help with weight loss?Drinking plain water, no matter the temperature, has been associated with lower calorie intake throughout the day. Drinking water as an alternative to sugary beverages is good for your digestion and maintaining a moderate weight, even if the water you drink is on the colder side. Drinking water that’s cold may help you burn a few extra calories as you digest it, because your body has to work harder to maintain its core temperature. But it’s not likely that drinking cold water is a powerful jump-start tool for weight loss. Drinking warm water can:
While this isn’t a “risk,” per se, it’s something to keep in mind as you decide how you’d like to get water in your body. Drinking warm or hot water has been found to make you less thirsty. This can be dangerous on days when your body is trying to keep cool by losing water through sweat. If you opt to drink warm water, be aware that you may not feel thirsty as often as you should. Some people may want to avoid drinking cold water. Drinking cold water while you have a cold or flu, or if you have any chronic condition that results in slower digestion, is probably not a great idea. But, while some cultures regard drinking cold water as a significant health risk for everyone, there isn’t a lot of research to support that claim. There are plenty of benefits to drinking warm water, though. As for the benefits of drinking cold water? They turn out to be the same benefits of drinking regular room-temperature water: keeping you hydrated and feeling refreshed. If you’re concerned about your digestion, trying to maintain a moderate weight, or feeling like you might be consistently dehydrated, speak with your doctor to make a plan.
After coming home from a long trip or finishing a gruesome daily workout, most people long for a cool glass of water. Nothing quenches our thirst like this fundamentally important liquid. However, if someone gives you a glass of warm water when you’re thirsty, you probably won’t like the taste. On the other hand, if someone puts ice in that glass, the flavor appears to change completely. What’s the reason behind this change of taste accompanying a change in temperature? Is it just you or does this happen to everyone? If you’ve ever thought about these questions and desperately want to know the answers, you’ve come to exactly the right place. Recommended Video for you: What Happens When You Throw Boiling Water Into Freezing Air? A little something about ‘taste’In school, we all learned about the five senses that our body possesses, taste being one of them. We also learned about the tongue—a sensory organ that has thousands of taste buds helping it detect different tastes. But what is taste? Is it just a sensation, a chemical reaction or some gimmick of the mind? The word “taste”, more formally known as “gustation”, refers to the sensations developed by the taste cells on the front, back and sides of our tongue when molecules from the food or drink being consumed attach to these cells and send signals to our brain. Hence, taste can be considered a mix of different chemical reactions taking place on the tongue.
How does the tongue detect different flavors?Different tastes, such as salty, sour and sweet, are sensed differently. Saltiness, for example, is detected by taste receptor cells that primarily respond to sodium chloride or other similar salts. Certain proteins present in the cell membranes of these cells act as channels (e.g., epithelial sodium channels) and allow the NaCl to enter the cells, subsequently releasing neurotransmitters (chemicals that transfer information) that pass the sensation to axons (nerve cells that carry the taste information to the brain). Sourness is also sensed in a manner that directly affects ion channels. Proteins of certain acids (citric or acetic acid) enter via sodium or potassium channels and initiate a cellular response. The bitterness of food is also sensed by blocking potassium channels in taste receptor cell membranes. On the other hand, chemicals that are sensed as “sweet” bind to particular sites on membrane receptors (proteins present in the cell membrane) in a “lock-and-key” fashion (implying that only chemicals of a specific shape can fit in the binding site and initiate the response). Once these chemicals are bound, certain changes inside the cell lead to the release of neurotransmitters, which send the signal to the brain. The better the fit, the higher the “sweetness potency” of the substance.
What does water taste like?Growing up, we all learned that water has no taste. However, when we drink this colorless life-giving fluid, we experience some kind of taste sensation on our tongue. For ages, people simply thought that it came from the minerals and salts dissolved in the water, but even pure distilled water has something akin to a taste. So… what is accountable for this pseudo-flavor? First of all, to be clear, distilled water is supposed to be tasteless. However, as soon as it is taken out of the distillery, a certain amount of carbon dioxide and oxygen gas dissolves in it. Also, if you pour such pure water in a glass, the impurities present in the glass (however small in quantity) will mix with the pure water, altering its taste slightly. Again, whenever we eat food, certain minute food particles stick around in the mouth and on the tongue; the moment we take the first sip of water, they mix in, providing the water with a specific taste. Why does cold water taste better?The coldness of water actually suppresses some of these “bad” factors that alter the taste of pure water. Any impurities that make the water taste slightly different can be detected far more easily when the water is warm. Try it yourself; put some sugar or salt in a glass of water and taste it at different temperatures. You will experience the difference in sensitivity immediately.
Also, when the body is tired after strenuous work or heat, the temperature of the body rises. In such a situation, cold water helps to bring the body temperature down quickly and effectively, providing a refreshing feel in the process. Another possibility is the fact that water is an acquired taste—a preference that an individual develops over many years. A person living in the poles will not like water to be as cold as someone living in the desert may prefer. Many of us might associate warm water with stagnant, uncovered water, as anything cold is inherently considered “fresh”; that psychological factor may be hard to avoid when sipping a glass of warm H2O. Purely psychological?Although the taste of water depends on many factors, such as temperature and mineral constituents, a lot of it might also be purely psychological. According to a 1997 study at the School of Medicine at the University of Yale, “the action of drinking is more thirst-quenching than being rehydrated through a nasogastric tube.” In simpler words, the same amount of water can be given to two different people, but the one who drinks it from a glass will feel more refreshed and hydrated. Having discussed all this, there are bigger problems to consider. The water crisis is now a global phenomenon, and we should all try to conserve as much water as possible, because one thing is pretty clear, whether cold or warm, water quenches our thirst like no other liquid on Earth! Suggested ReadingWas this article helpful? |