There has been much debate among the general public and scientists whether hot water or cold water is better for losing weight, or whether there’s a difference in general between drinking hot or cold water.
According to Harvard, drinking enough water:
Aids digestion
Protects your organs, joints, and tissues
Supplies nutrients throughout the body
Maintains body temperature
Flushes unwanted bacteria from the body
Cleveland Clinic’s Dr. Weiner indicates that ice water from the fridge is approximately 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius), cold tap water would be around 60°F (~15.55°C), and room temperature water is around 78°F (25.55°C).
The short answer to this question is yes! A study from the National Library of Medicine showed increased water intake will increase weight loss, but only if you’re in a calorie deficit.
The Experiment:
A random group of 42 people were placed on a caloric deficit for 12 weeks. One group was called the water group, and the other group was called the non-water group.
The controls in the experiment (i.e., things that did not change and were not changed throughout the experiment) were age, sex, gender, blood pressure, and weight.
The Results:
Total fat mass significantly declined in the water group vs. the non-water group in both men and women.
The HDL (high-density lipoprotein) levels were lower in the water group compared to the non-water group.
Another study published in 2003 found that drinking water in general increases metabolic rate (i.e., your metabolism) by 30% in both men and women.
As stated above, staying hydrated can really improve overall muscle and brain function and improve mood and memory.
Water helps you maintain a calorie deficit and increases your likelihood of achieving your daily calorie goals.
The rule of thumb is to drink 96 ounces of water each day, and while you are exercising, you should be replenishing with 7 to 10 ounces of water every 15–20 minutes of exercise.
While there are articles showing that drinking water in general helps you lose weight, there is no supporting evidence that hot water is better for weight loss than cold water.
Nevertheless, there are still some benefits to drinking hot water.
Dr. Weiner from the Cleveland Clinic states that drinking hot water opposed to cold water may have benefits on a case-by-case basis.
For example, hot or warm water can help with digestion or nasal congestion.
Drinking warm water will most likely help people affected with achalasia. Achalasia is a rare disorder that affects 1 out of 100,000 people in the U.S. every year and makes it difficult for food and liquid to pass through the esophagus.
One study states that drinking hot liquid and hot foods helps the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) in achalasia relax and decrease pressure.
“For every ounce of ice that you eat, it takes 5 calories to melt it and bring it up to body temperature,” states Dr. Weiner.
He wrote a paper on how eating ice can increase metabolic rate.
If you’re an ice lover trying to lose weight, maybe sucking on some ice in addition to hydrating with water can help!
People psychologically lean towards hot beverages, as they provide comfort. For example, eating chicken noodle soup while you’re sick can be nurturing even if there’s no medical value.
However, there are no scientific discoveries that show that hot water or cold water will benefit your weight loss journey more; however, water in general will help you lose weight if you’re at a caloric deficit.
Maybe you thought Mike Tyson was really going somewhere when he talked about how hot water helps you lose more weight… but unfortunately, that’s not the case!
Hopefully you enjoyed some interesting facts about water in general as well.
Please contact us with any feedback or questions about today’s blog post here. We’d love to hear from you!
