Drinking Hot Tea in Summer Cools the Body

A person may tend to consume a cold drink to cool their body during a heatwave, but experts say that drinking hot tea is more effective in cooling the body under certain conditions. A study conducted by researchers from the University of Ottawa in 2012 examined the effects of drinking hot beverages on body temperature and found that hot drinks can cool the human body, but only in dry conditions. Dr. Ole Gaj, one of the study's researchers, explained in an interview with Smithsonian Magazine: "When you drink a hot beverage, it results in less stored heat inside your body, provided that the additional sweat produced when consuming the hot drink can evaporate." Dr. Gaj added: "When a person consumes a hot drink, they begin to sweat more; and when that sweat evaporates, body temperature decreases, making the person feel cooler. However, on a very hot and humid day, sweat does not evaporate easily from the skin's surface, so drinking a hot beverage is not advisable, and it is better to opt for a cold drink." The takeaway is that in hot and dry conditions, consuming hot beverages has a clear effect on cooling the body, but if a person is in a humid environment, it is better to drink cold beverages, as reported by the British newspaper "Mirror."