Lợi ích và nguy cơ từ việc uống nước lạnh/nước đá.

Drinking water is one of the essential needs of most living organisms. For humans, mental and physical health benefits from drinking plenty of water every day are indisputable.

As recommended by the National Academy of Science, Technology and Medicine, men over 19 need to consume 3.7 liters of water per day, and 2.7 liters for women of the same age. But there is a fact that everyone chooses cold water or ice for refreshment rather than cold or warm water, does this affect our health? Some people believe that the habit of drinking cold water has an effect on health in the long term. They argue that this may adversely affect stomach digestion. Another idea is that drinking cold water can lower your body temperature. For ice, the temperature is about 4-8oC, while the body temperature is 36-37oC, so the body will have to consume some of the energy to ensure the temperature balance. 

1. Risk
Yes, drinking cold water can adversely affect our health. A small study in 1978 on 15 people found that drinking cold water made the nasopharyngeal mucus (also called phlegm) become thicker that hindered moving inside the respiratory tract. Also in this study, people also showed that eating hot soup and drinking warm water helps the throat clear and breathing becomes easier. Another evidence is also evident that at a young age, when they get a flu, parents often do not allow us to eat or drink any cold food, indeed, because that only makes their stuffy condition we become worse.

Many other health conditions can also be affected by this habit. A study from 2001 demonstrated that drinking cold water has the potential to relapse migraines for people who have had it. Some symptoms related to esophagus may also be affected by cold drinking habits, typically esophageal spasms, drinking cold water can cause the esophageal muscles to contract due to temperature imbalance. So, people who have a habit of drinking cold water during meals will feel more difficult to swallow.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, drinking cold foods in meals with hot food is considered an imbalance. So most of them enjoy a Chinese-style meal, they often serve hot tea or hot water. This also occurs in some countries affected by Chinese culture. Many people believe that drinking cold water does not help the body cool down on a hot day, but no research has concluded that this is true or false.

2. Benefits
Even so, drinking cold water sometimes still offers certain benefits to the body. For athletes, or those who have a habit of exercising regularly with great intensity, drinking cold water keeps the body from being "overheating", because when exercising a great amount of heat, the body's heat Being born is quite high compared to normal levels, so drinking cold water will help to cool the body immediately. Drinking plenty of filtered water, regardless of temperature, helps the body get more energy, which has been demonstrated by many studies.

Cold water can really help with weight loss, especially for overweight people, who are often in the habit of using carbonated drinks, drinking water to help digestion becomes smooth and easy compared to work. Drink drinks with high sugar content. The fact that drinking cold water will help your body burn a higher amount of calories because the body has to spend an extra amount of energy to maintain a constant temperature, but drinking only cold water is not counted as a weight loss method. fruit.

A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrine Metabolism shows that the body's exposure to extreme cold temperatures has many positive effects on stimulating the activity of brown adipose tissue, which is considered fat. Good because it helps the body burn fat instead of storing. According to this study, including drinking cold water (or cold water bath) will help the body to metabolize glucose well and increase insulin sensitivity.

Some cases
we should avoid drinking cold water because of the flu or any condition related to the digestive system. For some people, drinking cold water brings more harm than benefits and there are also countless evidence for their beliefs. In terms of hot water or warm water, there are more benefits to drinking than cold water or ice. What about the benefits of drinking cold water? They turn out to be the same benefits of drinking room temperature water regularly: Keep you hydrated and give you more energy. If you are worried about your digestion, try to make a plan to lose weight or feel like you may be dehydrated constantly, talk to your doctor and make a plan to help you stay hydrated and healthy.