MadSci Network: Biochemistry |
Drinking cold water as a weight loss aid rather than hot water is not a scientifically accepted procedure. It sounds to me like advice from one individual’s experience. However, it may very well be effective. At a conference in Germany last year K Jonderko from Poland reported on his studies on the electrical activity of the stomach (the body emits very faint electrical activity that can be measured with sensitive instruments). He tested hot and cold beverages and found that cold water reduced the electrical activity of the stomach for 15 minutes, whereas hot water produced only a transient rise in activity. Thus, it appears that the fluid temperatures have different effects on the stomach. However, whether this has any effect on weight loss attempts were not considered. Four cups of water is a lot to drink, Mr. Jonderko used less than 2 cups to obtain his results. The paper I mentioned is in “Neurogastroenterology from basics to the clinics” by HJ Krammer and MV Singer, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1999. I hope this helps explain how fluid temperatures may affect the stomach. Phyllis Stumbo University of Iowa Iowa City, IA U.S.A.
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