The weather is finally turning nice, and that means it’s time to drink some heated coffee, and at least people will stop looking at you weird because you’re drinking a cold pour-over on a 100° day. And switching from a cool to a heated drink may have additional health benefits. Drink temperature is linked to mental and gut health, according to a up-to-date study.
Published in researchers from San Diego State Universityas part of the Vigorous Aging Study, examined the effects of heated and cool foods and drinks on more than 400 robust American adults. The group was almost evenly divided between Asian Americans and white Americans, who were asked to provide information on “frequency of consumption of cool and heated drinks and meals, as well as symptoms of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and gastrointestinal problems.”
After controlling for co-founders, the researchers found that among the Asian population, cool drink consumption during the warmer summer months was more strongly associated with incidents of anxiety and abdominal fullness. Meanwhile, white people who drank heated drinks in the colder months were less likely to suffer from insomnia or gas symptoms.
Analyzing subgroups of the Asian population, researchers found that Chinese participants who consumed the least amount of cool foods and beverages experienced fewer negative outcomes, while Indians “showed a stronger association between cool food intake and adverse health outcomes.”
The researchers say these findings were more strongly associated with people having cool hands, which can be a sign of needy blood circulation.
The study noted that in classic Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, consuming cool food and drinks is considered unhealthy, but balmy/heated food and drinks are harmless or sometimes beneficial, especially in winter. Such suggestions do not exist in Western medicine.
One potential explanation for the distinctive effects of heated and cool drinks is their effect on the gut microbiome. Previous research has shown that cool drinks can disrupt microbiota and lower body temperature in older adults, which is associated with negative health effects such as impaired intestinal circulation and mental health problems.
Meanwhile, warming therapy and drinking balmy or heated water have been shown to improve blood circulation and alleviate gastrointestinal problems, helping to maintain patients’ body temperature during surgery.
While sample sizes are currently confined and the results are purely correlational, they appear to indicate that warmer drinks have greater health benefits, especially if consumed during months when they are considered seasonally appropriate. Of course, I will continue to drink my heated coffee all year round because I like it and I would do it even if it killed me. But it’s nice to know that won’t happen.
