Why do Chinese people like to drink hot water? It turns out...but it's not a panacea, beware of these 3 situations

One of the most puzzling things for foreigners to Chinese is about drinking hot water!

Abroad, a poll like this was launched: What do you think is the most Chinese behavior?

Unexpectedly, the one who got the highest number of likes was actually "drinking boiled water".

Although in the eyes of foreigners, drinking hot water is a bit "weird", in the eyes of Chinese people, drinking hot water is not a strange behavior, but a sign of health and wellness.

So here comes the question - why are the Chinese so keen to drink hot water?

Let's start with water bacteria.

The water in nature hides thousands of bacteria

The water looks pure and clean. If you drink it directly, you may be drinking bacteria and microorganisms that are invisible to the naked eye.

For example, Escherichia coli, which everyone is most familiar with, is one of the main members living in water. When it reproduces in the human stomach and intestines, it is easy to cause diarrhea, nausea and vomiting and other uncomfortable symptoms, especially for people who are weak and have poor resistance.

Let's take a look at how many bacteria are contained in raw water and hot water under the microscope:

▲ On the left is raw water, on the right is boiling water

After magnifying 1000 times, it is found that there are many microorganisms floating in the raw water, while the hot water is much cleaner.

In addition, there is also a program in Japan that did such an experiment: put the mineral water that was opened and sipped for 24 hours to observe the change in the amount of bacteria in the water.

It was found that after the water was left for 24 hours, the number of bacteria increased from 600 to 1,100.

Therefore, the easiest and most direct way to kill bacteria that kill raw water and drink water more safely is to heat the water and boil it! Boiled water can kill some non-heat-resistant bacteria and viruses in the water.

Drinking hot water is a "Chinese culture"

From ancient times to the present, the status of hot water among the Chinese people is unshakable. It has a long historical tradition and has gradually become a habit. However, the Chinese people began to drink hot water after drinking raw water for thousands of years.

In ancient times, due to the backward economy, expensive and lack of fuel, ordinary people could not drink hot water at all.

Even in the Song and Yuan Dynasties when teahouses and teahouses were open everywhere, not everyone could afford hot tea. Hot water was only boiled when cooking or when there were patients at home.

It was not until the period of the Republic of China, when the Western germ theory was introduced into China, that the government gradually realized the importance of hot water to sanitation and health.

After the founding of New China, the state repeatedly called on everyone to drink more boiled water, and "drinking hot water" was vigorously popularized and promoted.

At this time, some people may ask: Since there are so many bacteria in the water, why do foreigners still drink cold water instead of hot water?

In fact, after realizing the problem of water sanitation, foreigners thought of starting from improving water quality and developing tap water purification technology. In foreigners' homes, the water flowing from the tap is treated with purified water and can be directly consumed.

Therefore, they have no awareness and habit of drinking hot water at all.

Under such historical and social background, drinking hot water has become a unique cultural symbol of Chinese people. Unexpectedly, the healthy and hygienic method of heating and drinking water has been included in our bag early on!

Is "drinking more hot water" scientific?

In the eyes of Chinese people, hot water seems to have become a "panacea" for all ailments. The phrase "drink more hot water" has been used by the majority of gay men in various occasions, and I believe that every female compatriot feels the same.

When you hear someone tell you to "drink more hot water", don't think it's a perfunctory, because drinking more hot water really has certain benefits!

cold

Once you catch a cold and the body temperature rises, the human body will consume the body's water through perspiration, etc., making the resistance worse. Drinking more hot water can relieve the discomfort of a cold to a certain extent and speed up blood circulation.

On the one hand, hot water can prevent the patient from dehydration and make the immune system function normally; on the other hand, hot water can break down the mucus in the nasal cavity and relieve symptoms such as nasal congestion, fever, and sore throat.

?Notice

The cold mentioned here refers to the common cold, and cold water is the best choice for the common cold; hot water and cold medicine are only to relieve discomfort, not to cure the cold.

menstrual pain

Clinically, 90% of menstrual pain are primary. Drinking hot water can help relieve menstrual pain, promote blood circulation, and increase Qi and blood flow.

So drink brown sugar water or hot water which is more effective for menstrual pain?

At present, there is no theoretical basis and clinical experiments to prove that brown sugar water is effective in relieving menstrual pain, in fact, hot water is at work.

Experiments have shown that hot compresses can relieve uterine cramps. Therefore, in addition to drinking hot water for menstrual pain, remember to keep your belly warm!

Stomachache

Symptoms of abdominal pain and diarrhea are generally related to the stomach. At this time, drinking a glass of warm water appropriately can relieve the temporary pain, why not do it?

Hot water will increase the activity of digestive enzymes, promote gastrointestinal motility, and facilitate digestion and absorption of the gastrointestinal tract. People with deficient constitution should drink more hot water.

Hot water is not everything

Although drinking hot water has certain benefits for the body, it is not possible to drink hot water in every situation. Drinking hot water indiscriminately, not to mention maintaining health, will hurt your body in minutes.

In the following cases, please drink hot water with caution, and keep a distance from hot water if necessary!

? Hot water at 65℃ and above is carcinogenic

The authoritative medical journal "The Lancet Oncology" published research results saying that drinking too hot beverages for a long time may increase the risk of esophageal cancer. Moreover, the World Health Organization has also classified hot water at 65°C and above as a 2A carcinogen.

Therefore, "drinking while it is hot" is not good for the body. It is best to drink it after cooling down. The water temperature of 35℃~40℃ is the best for the human gastrointestinal tract.

? While taking certain medicines

Vitamins: they are easily oxidized, decomposed and lose their efficacy when exposed to heat, such as vitamin C effervescent tablets;

Amoxicillin: easily decomposed by hot water, causing allergic symptoms similar to penicillin;

Capsules: The capsule shell will dissolve in hot water, affecting the effectiveness of the drug;

Digestive enzymes: After the active protein is heated, it loses its catalytic effect and does not have a digestive effect;

Cough Syrups: Drinking with hot water will dilute the syrup, reduce its viscosity, and affect the treatment of cough.

? Do not drink hot water after tooth extraction

Friends who have just had their teeth pulled should not drink hot water first, because the wound may still be bleeding at this time. Hot water can easily accelerate the flow of blood in the mouth, which is not conducive to the scabbing of the wound. Xiaobei recommends that everyone drink hot water 48 hours after tooth extraction.

health circle

Editor of this issue: Yiyi

Original title: "Why do Chinese people like to drink hot water? It turns out...but it's not a panacea, beware of these 3 situations"