Phew, it´s a scorcher isn´t it? In warm weather often the last thing on our mind is having a hot drink, but did you know they can actually cool you down?
In a study published by National Center for Biotechnology Information in the US, it found that “body heat storage during physical activity is lower with hot fluid ingestion under conditions that permit full evaporation.”
In plain English, what does this mean? Sorry to disappoint but having a hot drink to cool you down only works if the additional sweat produced caused by drinking a hot liquid is able to evaporate.
When we drink something hot, nerves in our mouths and in our upper digestive tract respond to the heat of the beverage, stimulating the brain to produce more sweat. And as it evaporates, the sweat effectively cools you down.
Water evaporates very quickly from the skin. And when water evaporates, that cools you down.
The downside to drinking hot drinks on a warm day to cool yourself down is increased body sweat – it isn’t a particularly good look, particularly if you’re at work! A Loughborough University study found that a 50˚C drink results in a higher whole body sweat loss (around 570ml vs about 465ml for 1.5˚C).
And it’s not just a hot cup of tea or coffee that can cool you down, spicy food can have the same effect. The active ingredient in chilli peppers acts on the same receptors in your mouth and upper digestive tract that detect heat and cause sweating, which of course cools you down.
Regardless of whether you like your drinks hot or cold, it’s important in hot weather to keep hydrated, because drinking “will give you the material with which you can produce sweat, thereby reducing your own temperature.”
