Ice cold water may be the most ‘sought after’ thing in scorching heat but who knows, it has got its own downsides.
It’s a hot sunny day and you’re completely exhausted and fed up. All you can think of is, drinking a quite big glass of ice cold water which could pretty much cheer you up; perhaps what you don’t know is, it can actually worsen your health conditions.
Allah has bestowed us with countless blessings, be it our organs, proper functioning body or people who love, support and care for us. There’s no match to these blessings but surely one of them all, can be accounted as a basic necessity of life, without which we are dead, non-functional and dormant- Water.
In Summers, when it’s scorching heat outside and the weather is dry enough, people love to drink cold water making it an essential thing to do. Cold water maybe a nice source of quenching the thirst; however, it can exacerbate the existing health conditions and affect multiple systems of the body.
Here are the things you need to know before you fetch an another glass of cold water:
- THE EFFECTS OF COLD WATER ON DIGESTIVE SYSTEM:
Ingestion of cold water can upset the digestive system and lead to constipation, abdominal pain, nausea etc. These symptoms are due to anti-inflammatory action of cold water that is, it constricts the vessels (1) (2) , resulting in less efficient functioning of digestive system ( less blood flowing in the areas of digestive system ultimately decreasing digestion).
Apart from that, it decreases the digestion rate also by hindering the temperature regulating mechanism of the stomach. According to a study, proper digestion requires body temperature which is not provided in the case of ingestion of cold liquids and hence it couldn’t help in digestion( body would require time to regulate the temp from cold to normal of liquid) thus slowing down the digestive rate.(3)
- COLD WATER INCREASES BODY FAT:
According to CHINESE MEDICINE, cold liquids can solidify the fat and turn the food into a sludge(slushy mass/settling) that can slow down the digestion and become stationary and the stationary food has its own drawbacks.
“If you drink cold liquid with a meal then all of the fats will solidify and turn your food into a sticky sludge that slows down your digestion and becomes stagnant. Stagnant food in Chinese Medicine can lead to excessive phlegm and mucus, and cause all sorts of conditions like fatigue, weight gain, allergies, immune weakness and headaches.
3.EFFECTS OF COLD WATER ON CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM:
A research has proved that cold water decreases the heart rate in healthy individuals by stimulation of vagal nerve( temperature stimulus-vagal enhancement/modulation).(4)
4.EXACERBATION OF EXISTING DISEASES:
A Chinese Research has proven that consumption of ice cold water can increase the risks of exacerbation/inducing of asthma in the children already having it.(5)
5.EFFECTS OF COLD WATER ON RESPIRATORY SYSTEM:
Cold water has a significant worsening effect on the respiratory system as according to LIITLE THINGS, it can cause sore throat due to increased mucus that eventually makes the person susceptible to infections.
An article published in CHEST JOURNAL emphasizes on effects of cold and hot water on the nasal mucosa and nasal velocity, concluding that cold water decreases the nasal velocity
“ Cold water significantly decreased the nasal mucus velocity from 7.3 to 4.5 mm per min. Hot liquid might be superior to cold liquids in the management of fluids in upper respiratory tract infections”.
6.OTHERS: Apart from all these conditions, ice cold water has the audacity to cause some additional health problems such as headaches, weakened immune system and insufficient energy within the body(as all the energy is consumed to convert cold water to normal temp water within the body) according to BRIGHT SIDE.
Though ice cold water may seem very delightful and refreshing to have in the Summers, it’s best to avoid it. All we can do for ourselves is making the most of our blessings, opting for a better and healthy lifestyle( drinking warm water), as nothing in this world is more precious than a conscious state of mental, social and physical health.
Surely,
“To able to thank Allah for a blessing is a blessing within itself”. (Imam Shafi’i)
( ALL THE PHOTOS HAVE BEEN TAKEN FROM PINTEREST)
REFERENCES:
1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10735978
2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25375114
3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7153912
4) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10286-010-0077-3
5) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9260213
