Drinking Cold Water in Summer Heat Does Not Cause Throat Infection

CHEST Diseases Specialist Prof. Dr. Tevfik Özlü stated that drinking cold water in the summer heat will not cause throat inflammation, and said, “When we look at medical information, there is no question of drinking cold water causing throat inflammation. Because diseases such as tonsillitis and pharyngitis, which we call throat inflammation, are actually infectious diseases and the cause of these diseases is microorganisms such as viruses or bacteria. In other words, you will not get throat inflammation because you drink cold water.”

Ministry of Health Coronavirus Scientific Board Member, Chest Diseases Specialist Prof. Dr. Tevfik Özlü made warnings and recommendations regarding the consumption of cold water. Özlü recommended drinking cold water or consuming cold foods to relieve sore throats in cases of strep throat or pharyngitis. Prof. Dr. Özlü said, “Due to the summer heat, almost all of us drink cold water and cold beverages. We prefer cold foods like ice cream. But we are often warned by our surroundings. We receive warnings like, ‘Don’t drink cold water, you will get strep throat, it will damage your throat, you will get sick, you will get tonsillitis’. Are these true? Does cold water really harm us? Does it cause strep throat? When we look at medical information, it is not the case that drinking cold water causes strep throat. Because diseases such as tonsillitis and pharyngitis, which we call strep throat, are actually infectious diseases and the cause of these diseases is microorganisms such as viruses or bacteria. In other words, you will not get strep throat because you drink cold water. In fact, on the contrary, it may be and is recommended to drink cold water or consume cold foods to cure strep throat in diseases such as tonsillitis or pharyngitis.”

‘THERE IS NO MEDICAL HARM IN DRINKING COLD WATER’

Noting that there is no harm in drinking cold water, Özlü said, “When drinking cold water, it is beneficial to drink it in a way that does not scald our throats. There is no harm in drinking cold water while resting calmly; drink cold water. Drink water in the summer; it does not matter whether it is hot or cold. However, drinking excessively hot or cold drinks suddenly and in large amounts can cause damage to the cells in your throat. Other than that, there is no known medical harm in drinking cold water. You can drink water, you can also drink cold water.”