Why do Chinese often drink hot water and suffer from stomach problems, while foreigners always drink ice water but their stomachs are fine?

"Have a cold? Just drink more water."

"Have a fever? Come and drink more hot water, the fever will be gone soon"

"Is your throat uncomfortable? Drink more water"

"Your period is coming? Drink more hot water"

“……”

In some people's eyes, hot water is like a "good medicine" for all diseases. It seems that there is no disease that a cup of hot water can't solve, except taking medicine is "drinking more hot water". But in foreign countries, most foreigners do not have the habit of drinking hot water, but they prefer to drink ice water.

"Why do Chinese people like to drink hot water?" This is one of the most frequently searched questions about Chinese people on Google. For the Chinese, what is the "charm" of hot water?

1. "Hot water can cure all diseases", why can't Chinese people live without hot water?

Heating water in a thermos cup is a standard configuration for Chinese people to go out. What is the charm of hot water?

Drinking more hot water can speed up the body's metabolism and let the body "garbage" be excreted along the digestive tract; secondly, when you are sick, the body fluid will decrease, and drinking hot water in time can have the effect of dispelling cold and replenishing water, and can Helps relieve muscle and blood vessel spasms .

Why do only Chinese people like to drink hot water? This problem needs to be traced back to four thousand years ago...

When ancient Egypt and ancient Greece were still using pottery to hold food, the ancestors in China already knew how to heat the utensils directly on the fire. This has resulted in differences in primitive cultures. Western ancestors like to roast food directly, while Chinese ancestors like to cook.

But the first batch of Chinese who did not drink anything but hot water were cultivated by Westerners who came to China in modern times. At that time, the domestic epidemic was rampant, and drinking hot water was an effective bactericidal habit .

By 1930, the "New Life Movement" launched by the Kuomintang government also encouraged people to drink hot water . This habit continued until 1950, when the new Chinese government also launched a call to drink hot water.

Even in the 1990s, the thermos bottle industry was booming and basically reached the point of monopoly-the sales volume of thermos bottles reached 266 million in 1997.

However, it should be noted that drinking hot water above 65 degrees Celsius may increase the risk of esophageal cancer .

The esophageal mucous membrane of the human body can withstand a temperature of about 60°C. Once it exceeds 65°C, it will cause burns, and the temperature of hot water that some people often drink is likely to be higher than this temperature. If the mucous membrane continues to repair itself under repeated stimulation for a long time, gene mutations are prone to occur in this process, resulting in the appearance of cancer cells.

2. Foreigners always like to drink ice water, but why do they rarely suffer from stomach problems?

China is a big country with stomach problems. According to large-scale epidemiological surveys, the incidence of gastroenteritis accounts for more than 85% of China . It is said that drinking cold drinks hurts the stomach, but foreigners seem to drink ice water every day, why do they seem to rarely have stomach problems?

When traveling abroad, many people will complain: why is there no kettle? In Japanese restaurants, when you want to drink water, you almost always serve ice water; when you come to the United States, you will also put ice cubes in the ice water. Generally for them, hot water is only used for making tea or coffee.

Does Drinking Ice Water Really Hurt Your Stomach?

In fact, the cold feeling is only for the mouth. When the cold water enters the esophagus and then reaches the stomach, it is no longer so cold.

And human is a constant temperature animal, the temperature in the stomach will also be adjusted accordingly. The reason why some people will have stomach cramps when drinking ice water is mainly because the temperature of the gastrointestinal tract is relatively sensitive . A performance signal.

Ice water does not hurt the stomach. The reason why Chinese people have a high incidence of stomach problems is mainly related to these habits:

1. to drink

Alcohol can directly damage the gastric mucosal epithelial cells, destroy the gastric mucosal barrier, and cause damage to the stomach. High concentrations of alcohol can also cause metabolic acidosis and further damage gastric mucosal cells.

2. Smoking

Nicotine in cigarettes can also stimulate the stomach, leading to gastric mucosal ischemia and hypoxia. Nicotine can also relax the pyloric sphincter, causing bile to flow into the stomach, causing gastric mucosal erosion and bleeding.

3. Too salty

If the food is too salty and the salt concentration accumulated in the stomach is too high, it will damage the gastric mucosa, thereby causing degeneration and diffuse erosion of the gastric mucosa, leading to the occurrence of various diseases.

4. Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori is a major risk factor for inducing gastritis. Long-term infection without treatment and repeated inflammation will increase the possibility of cell mutation.

3. What will happen to your body if you drink ice water for a long time?

In the eyes of parents, it is a "rebellious" thing to drink ice water without hot water, because drinking too much ice water may be harmful to the body... What is the harm of drinking ice water for a long time?

Drinking ice water can irritate the mouth. For people with sensitive teeth or dental caries, it is easy to stimulate the nerves of the teeth and cause toothache. Ice water can also irritate the throat, causing cough, bronchitis and other discomforts. Drinking ice water for a long time can also stimulate cerebral vasospasm , more likely to cause angina pectoris.

In addition, for women, drinking ice water for a long time will stimulate the endocrine system, lead to menstrual disorders, and may induce and aggravate dysmenorrhea symptoms.

But ice water is not "useless". In high temperature environment, it is easy to cause heatstroke and even heat stroke. Drinking ice water properly can prevent hyperthermia, shrink pores, reduce perspiration, and prevent dehydration risk .

Ice water is good, but not for everyone.

For people with weak gastrointestinal tract , drinking ice water will cause intestinal spasm, resulting in stomach pain and diarrhea;

For people with a history of migraine , cold food can easily irritate the mouth, cause facial blood vessels to constrict, affect the central nervous system, and stimulate headaches;

It is not advisable to drink ice water immediately after exercising, as it can easily lead to severe contraction of blood vessels and mucous membranes, causing gastrointestinal spasms and other problems.

Different countries have different habits. If you have the habit of drinking ice water since childhood, you don’t need to force yourself to drink hot water. Friends who like to drink hot water should also pay attention to not drinking water that is too hot. Too high a temperature will also damage the gastrointestinal tract and increase health risks.

References:

[1] "Why only Chinese people like to drink hot water?" ". Nine Lines. 2020-07-20

[2] "5 things that really hurt your stomach, the first thing you do every day! ". Nutritionist Gu Zhongyi. 2022-03-14

[3] "What happens to people who drink ice water for a long time" is a hot topic! Drinking ice water is really not suitable for some people! ". Health Times. 2022-08-27

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