During the summer, many people enjoy cold beverages to cool off. In fact, drinking warm tea can be more effective for cooling down. Additionally, there are many surprising health benefits associated with it.
1. Tea is a Natural Beverage
Unlike many other drinks that require the addition of chemicals such as pigments, flavors, and saccharin to enhance sensory properties like color and aroma, tea is a natural option. Sometimes, stimulants or preservatives are added to enhance various attributes of beverages.
There are over 200 additives currently used in food production. Nutritionists advise limiting the intake of beverages containing chemical additives. Instead, opt for more natural drinks, and tea is an ideal choice.
Drinking warm tea increases sweating, helping to reduce body temperature.
2. Drinking Warm Tea Helps Cool the Body
According to a 2012 study by the University of Ottawa, drinking warm tea can indeed help cool us down. The reason is that when we drink warm tea, our bodies sweat more, which helps lower our body temperature.
Heat in the body is generally expelled through the pores on the skin’s surface, especially during the summer. Heat is released through sweat, and the faster sweat is expelled, the more heat is lost. This is a healthy way to cool down.
If you cool down by drinking ice water, you might actually feel a chill in your heart right after. However, this cold beverage can easily irritate the body and cause digestive discomfort.
More importantly, drinking ice water causes the sweat glands’ pores to contract and close, which is not beneficial for heat dissipation. This trapped heat can accumulate in the body, and the contrast between hot and cold can be very harmful.
3. Drinking Warm Tea Can Prevent Stomach and Intestinal Diseases
During the hot summer months, if hygiene in eating and drinking is not observed, bacteria can proliferate significantly. Summer is a season when digestive diseases frequently occur.
Scientific research indicates that tea has antibacterial, disinfecting properties and improves the structure of gut microbiota. Tea is considered to have the highest content of polyphenols. The compounds in tea affect the gut microbiota, protecting beneficial bacteria and enhancing the immune system of the gut.
Tea is rich in antioxidants, which help heal intestinal wounds quickly and combat infections. Tea also contains tannins, which help tighten the intestinal mucosa. This aids the body in better liquid absorption and alleviates intestinal inflammation.
Tea is rich in antioxidants.
4. Drinking Tea Can Replenish Potassium and Hydration
In the summer, with rising temperatures, people sweat more, leading to a significant loss of potassium through sweat. At the same time, summer often involves increased physical activity. Metabolic byproducts such as pyruvic acid, lactic acid, and carbon dioxide accumulate more, causing a pH imbalance in the body, leading to metabolic disturbances and arrhythmias. Users may experience fatigue, lethargy, and loss of appetite, and even symptoms of dizziness and nausea.
Tea is a potassium-rich food. Especially black and green tea. Drinking warm tea in the summer can help replenish potassium. It helps maintain normal osmotic pressure and the acid-base balance inside and outside human cells, while also sustaining normal physiological functions and metabolic processes. This is a significant reason why tea is popular and suitable for summer consumption.
