You have probably read that ice water is great for a healthy diet. Besides nourishing the body's need for hydration, water can stimulate the metabolism and keep the body energized. While water helps digestion, hydrates the body and enhances metabolism and muscle function, ice water can be even more effective in raising metabolic rate. Although it shouldn't be looked upon as a magic cure, ice water can stimulate the metabolism to burn slightly more calories per hour.
Understanding Metabolism
Before you learn the effects of ice water on the metabolism, it is important to know how metabolism works. When you consume food, you consume calories, or units of energy. These calories are then burned by raising the temperature of food and liquid. This occurs through digestion, organ function and exercise. The body uses 1 calorie of energy for each gram it raises 1 degree Celsius. Therefore, colder foods and liquids must be raised by more degrees to reach the normal body temperature of 37 degrees Celsius.
Ice Water and Burning Calories
Water is important to this entire process because the food must maintain a certain consistency to travel smoothly through the body and reach the large intestine. It is understandable, with this knowledge, how a lack of hydration can produce side effects such as constipation and digestive trouble. You must drink water regularly to keep the body burning calories. Ice water, in particular, causes a slight rise in the metabolism. According to ShareCare.com, the body burns some calories in its process of raising the temperature of ice water once it's ingested. However, this information should come with some qualifications. It takes 1 calorie to raise 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius. A 16 oz. glass of water contains 473.18 g. Therefore, for the body to raise the temperature of a 16 oz. glass of ice water from zero degrees to 37 degrees Celsius, it would need to burn 17.5 calories.
Water and Energy
According to the Mayo Clinic, even mild dehydration can sap your energy and make you tired. As a "Men's Fitness" article featured by CBS MoneyWatch explains, water, to the body, is much like oil for a car. For the engine to work and burn fuel, it must contain oil. Similarly, for your metabolism to burn energy and calories, it must contain the right amount of water. In the article, J.T. Kearney, an exercise physiologist from Golden, Colorado, says that dehydration can cause fatigue, sugar cravings, moodiness and clouded thinking. Kearney also emphasizes the metabolic benefits of ice water over room temperature water. "Drinking 8 oz. of cold water can burn off an additional 9.25 calories as compared to room-temperature water," he says. While drinking water at any temperature is healthy and a better option than sodas or juices, ice cold water can help the body burn calories at a higher rate.
Recommendations
When the body processes cold water, it burns more calories than when it processes warm or room temperature water. If you were to consume the recommended average of eight glasses of water per day, each glass containing 8 oz., and you consumed ice cold water rather than regular water, your body would burn an average of 70 calories solely in the process of heating the water to body temperature. Additionally, water in general is healthy for the overall function of the metabolism and should be consumed regularly every day. While each body needs a different amount of water, according to weight, diet, exercise and other factors, at least six to eight glasses per day are recommended as a minimum amount. Water flushes the body of toxins and keeps the sinuses, ears, nose and throat moist for optimum function. The Mayo Clinic suggests that while eight 8 oz. glasses of water per day is not a scientifically researched amount, it is based on an average that is easy to remember and incorporate into your daily plan.
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