DEAR DR. GOTT: I have read that drinking the appropriate amount of water each day is good for my health. I also see a lot of information about how much water is enough. Now I get an email from a friend who forwarded a message that drinking cold water with a meal is bad for heath but drinking warm water with a meal is good for it.
Does it matter whether I drink cold or warm water with a meal? Does it matter whether I drink cold or warm water without a meal? Thank you.
DEAR READER: If I am correct, the email you received was about cold water causing cancer and may have had some information about heart attacks thrown into the mix. Both Hoax Slayer (www.hoax-slayer.com) and Snopes (www.snopes.com) classify this as false, and I agree.
Cold water will not solidify the stomach contents because it does not remain cold. As it is consumed, the water warms to the same temperature as the body. So drink cold or warm water with or without a meal. It doesn’t really matter.
Now as for how much water to drink daily, I have previously talked about this. You can read the article on my website at www.askdrgottmd.com/do-water-intake-recommendations-change-with-weight/.
