Ice water and health: be careful

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Extract from the article: Drinking iced water has become a reflex in hot weather. However, drinking water that is too cold in very hot weather can be dangerous.

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Drinking iced water has become a reflex in hot weather. However, drinking water that is too cold in very hot weather can be dangerous.

People generally think that the colder the water, the more effective and beneficial the cooling effect will be. This is a mistake. Drinking water maintains the body's fluid balance. The body is 60% water. These body fluids are responsible for digestion, absorption, circulation, creating saliva, maintaining body temperature and transporting nutrients.

But when you drink ice-cold water, your body is forced to stop sweating, the very process that eliminates heat from the body. As a result, the body can become fatigued from all the effort it will have taken to return to its initial temperature. Drinking ice-cold water constricts the blood vessels and ultimately limits digestion. It also prevents the natural process of absorbing nutrients during digestion. Drinking water at low temperatures can lead to dehydration.

Drinking iced water not only tires the body but can also promote certain illnesses. To prevent sore throats and blocked noses, especially for allergy sufferers, it's important to reduce or even stop drinking ice water.Ice water creates a lot of mucus in the respiratory system. This can lead to infection.‍It is not recommended to drink cold water after a workout.

Drinking ice-cold water can disrupt the heart rate.The cold assault on the sympathetic nerve, known as the vagus nerve, has the effect of disturbing the heart rate.This leads to palpitations and discomfort. Humans are homeothermic animals.When it's cold, we produce heat internally and externally.When it's hot, we sweat to evacuate the heat.

Does ice-cold water make the stomach swell?Yes, even when you're not eating, drinking iced water can constrict blood vessels. As a result, nutrients are less well absorbed and intestinal transit is disrupted. However, drinking ice water does not make you put on weight. In fact, if you drink very cold water, the energy expended by the body to raise its internal temperature may burn off a few calories, but not a significant amount. So be careful. Make the right choice when it comes to quenching your thirst.

William O.

Article validated by Dr Jean-Claude Bakpatina, General Practitioner at the Floreal Clinic in Lomé.