Water, how can something so simple be so complicated

Water, how can something so simple be so complicated

The body adapts to chronic dehydration by storing water for emergencies, much like a camel, our bodies tend to store water in the hips, thighs and ankles.   Once you restore your body to a constant state of hydration it will release this water storage, if you are holding water then drinking more helps release it from your system.   Staying hydrated helps to cushion our joints, transport nutrients, regulate blood pressure, keeping skin hydrated, helps bowel function, reduces headaches, regulate body temperature and many other functions as well. That is a lot of information but that isn’t what I found to be so confusing, it was the what, why and how of drinking water that started the thought process going for me.

While talking with a group of fitness people the conversation turned towards water.  I mentioned that I had read at one time that drinking tepid water was best for hydration, ice water was best for cooling the bodies core temperature but recently I had read that ice water has a negative impact on the esophagus and that some people drink ice water as the body burns calories warming it up.  Water is essential to our bodies, how are we supposed to know what is best for us if there is so much conflicting information out there.

• Discovery Health as a basic description of the ice water calorie burn information story “Does Drink Ice Water Burn Calories” which you can read.  According to the estimates from Discovery Health drinking eight 8 oz glasses of ice water will help burn 70 extra calories a day.  I do want to add that you should never put a water bottle in the freezer, this is old information that dates back to the 80’s before people realized the leeching of chemicals from plastic bottles even existed.
• Finding information about the impact of ice water isn’t easy on the internet as the web is flooded with posts about burning fat with ice water.  However I found this information from PubMed.gov which is the “US National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health.”  Here I found a medical report on sudden death from ingesting ice cold liquids in patients with underlying heart disease. To read this click  link to the report however here is the content:  “We report a case of sudden cardiac death in a 12-year-old boy after rapid ingestion of a frozen slurry drink. The cause of death was determined to be a cardiac arrhythmia secondary to a previously undiagnosed cardiac rhabdomyoma with associated myocardial scarring. Ingestion of cold liquids has been associated with syncope, but not sudden cardiac death. In this case, bradycardia induced by cold-induced vasovagal reflex may have precipitated the terminal arrhythmia. Ingestion of cold liquids should be considered a potential trigger for fatal cardiac arrhythmias in patients with underlying heart disease.“

I have asked a few random people about their experience with ice cold water and here is what I have found.  Some people love ice water and can’t drink it any other way as they say it improves the taste and palatability.  Others have reported discomfort and difficulty in swallowing ice water and having it give them hiccups, pain in the chest and stomach discomfort.  While not easy to find the reports due to the sheer volume of reports on the weight loss from ice water there are cases where ice water can be a concern for people with underlying conditions like asthma, heart disease or digestive issues.  If you can tolerate ice water and prefer it then by all means drink it as you like but for proper food digestion and water absorption room temperature water appears to be your best option.

Side Note:
Drinking too much water is also a concern as you can dilute the electrolytes needed to keep your body running properly, the condition is called Hyponatremia.  (For the full explanation see: Water Intoxication & Hyponatremia) Unless you are in a water drinking contest, it is hard to ingest the amount of water needed to cause death from Hyponatremia.  Babies and athletes are at higher risk of hyponeatremia and it’s risks.

Athletes who sweat heavily: the obvious concern loss of hydration, at the same time you are losing electrolytes at a rapid rate. Drinking water is great anytime, its a post exercise requirement. If you’re doing aggressive workouts, working out in hot environments, lost more than 2% of your bodyweight in fluid; you’ll need to consider replacing lost electrolytes as well.

In the real world, real food trumps sport nutrition drinks;

a few glasses of water with good meal, would be all you need to replenish.

When you’re in a pinch powders will have to do.

This is when prepackaged sport drinks really do their assigned job, replenishing lost fluids.

Of course if you want to go the natural route, this according to runtrails.blogspot:

Coconut water, nature’s natural gatorade,  drink that and skip the added sugars in processed sports drinks.