Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer lifeLive your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletterLive your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletterWhether you’re sipping hot green tea before bed or chugging a cold brew on the way to work, what kind of beverage you choose can impact your mood, sleep and gut health, according to researchers. The temperature of the drink was found to have links to anxiety, insomnia and an upset stomach, the San Diego State University study found. The study is the first in the U.S. to directly link cold and hot food and drinks to multiple health outcomes.“Something as simple as the temperature of what we eat and drink can have real impacts on health,” Tianying Wu, an associate professor of epidemiology, explained in a statement. “Because cold and hot consumption is such a routine part of daily life in the U.S., at home and in restaurants, the findings have broad relevance to everyday health choices.”open image in galleryDrinking hot beverages is better than cold ones, according to new research from San Diego State University academics (Getty Images/iStock)The findings used data from the school’s Healthy Aging Survey, examining more than 400 Asian and white American adults.The research also exposed both cultural and physiological differences among the groups.Among Asian participants, who preferred hot items, they found that drinking more cold drinks in the summer was associated with increased anxiety, more sleep disturbances and greater feelings of abdominal fullness. And white participants – a group more used to cold drinks – who drank more hot beverages in winter reported lower levels of depression, improved sleep quality and fewer digestive symptoms.These effects were the most pronounced in people who frequently reported “cold hands,” the researchers noted.Cold hands are a possible indicator of reduced circulation that impacts millions of Americans. They can also be a symptom of Peripheral Artery Disease, a condition that is one of the leading causes of amputation and affects 1 in 20 Americans over the age of 50.The researchers also pointed out their study also showed that Chinese adults who consumed the least cold foods and drinks experienced fewer adverse outcomes, while Indians showed stronger associations between cold consumption and adverse health effects.Jessica Mack, a wellness expert and occupational therapist who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital that consuming warm foods and beverages “can have a measurable impact on the body’s stress response.””The increase in body temperature can also enhance circulation and trigger the release of feel-good neurotransmitters like serotonin,” she said.open image in galleryThe researchers say their findings reinforce traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine (Getty Images/iStock)The researchers said their results reinforce traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine practices for both racial groups, which warns against excessive consumption of cold drinks. “Nevertheless, despite greater physiological resistance, our composite score shows that high cold consumption combined with low hot consumption is still associated with adverse health outcomes among white participants,” they wrote.Previous research from the authors showed drinking cold drinks was tied to painful menstrual cramps in both white and Asian women.Wu said more research needs to be done to determine the effects of their conclusions.“The next step is to conduct more rigorous prospective and intervention studies, since the effects can be dynamic — for example, older adults or individuals with poor circulation may be especially vulnerable to cold exposure,” he said.
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Choosing a hot tea or iced coffee could impact your mood for the rest of the day
