Introduction: Summer is here, and it's hard for anyone to resist the temptation of cold drinks. Iced beverages, popsicles, ice cream, and the like have become "daily staples" for getting through the summer. But are you aware of the dangers of cold drinks?
1. Decreased Appetite
The main component of cold drinks is water. Additionally, items like ice cream and popsicles contain some sugar and milk. These nutritional values are low and cannot provide the necessary nutrients as a main meal. When a large amount of cold drink enters the digestive tract, the extreme cold can seriously affect the secretion of digestive fluids and gastrointestinal function. Normal digestive fluids contain gastric acid and digestive enzymes, which help kill bacteria that enter the digestive tract and promote the digestion and absorption of food. If digestive fluids decrease, the digestion and absorption of food will be affected, and it can easily lead to intestinal infections, causing symptoms such as decreased appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and fever.
2. Triggering Menstrual Cramps
Drinking a cold drink on a hot summer day is not necessarily a bad thing, but the problem is that many young people now almost replace water and tea with cold drinks. They come home still "steaming hot" and immediately chug a large glass of cold drink, which is naturally harmful to the body. American scientists once conducted an experiment where they immersed a person's big toe in 4°C cold water. After half a minute, they found that the blood vessels in the person's nasal mucosa constricted strongly, and the amount of antibodies in the secretions dropped sharply. Similarly, scientists have found that whenever an icy beverage enters the human stomach, the blood vessels in a woman's uterine lining also constrict strongly, leading to a sharp decrease in menstrual flow, and even amenorrhea and dysmenorrhea.
In real life, many women may find that eating a lot of ice cream during their period can reduce menstrual flow, shorten the duration of the period, and some may even stop menstruating; after abstaining from cold drinks, the symptoms of irregular menstruation gradually improve, and in some cases, they may even disappear completely. When Chinese gynecological experts analyzed why urban young women suffer from more gynecological diseases than their rural counterparts, they also considered excessive consumption of cold drinks as one of the important reasons.
3. Bowel Rupture
The intense cold stimulation from ice cream can cause the normal peristalsis of the stomach and intestines to lose its rhythm, forcing a section of the intestine to "telescope" into another section of the intestinal cavity, causing an intestinal blockage. The contents of the intestine, such as food and feces, then accumulate, leading to severe abdominal cramps, vomiting, and bloating, a condition known medically as intestinal obstruction. Subsequently, the blood vessels in the intestinal wall are compressed, causing a circulatory disorder, and the intestinal wall becomes ischemic and edematous. As the intestine telescopes tighter, the ischemia of the intestinal wall worsens, eventually leading to intestinal necrosis, perforation, and rupture, which can be life-threatening.
4. Inducing Kidney Yin Deficiency
The reason why excessive consumption of cold drinks affects a woman's menstruation is mainly because cold drinks are considered "cold-natured" beverages. Consuming too much makes the body vulnerable to "cold pathogen" invasion, causing poor appetite, easy diarrhea, and irregular menstruation in women. Moreover, the kidneys govern human reproduction. Therefore, under the invasion of cold drinks, the kidneys' "yang" energy remains weak for a long time. Coupled with the uterine contraction caused by the stimulation of cold drinks, this can lead to difficult menstrual flow, blood clot accumulation, and in severe cases, it can even affect fertility.
5. Anemia
The core issue lies in the large intake of cold drinks, which dilutes the concentration of gastric acid in the stomach that aids in digestion and sterilization. The low temperature also stimulates the contraction of gastrointestinal blood vessels, significantly reducing blood flow, which further decreases appetite. Cold stimulation can also increase the excitability of gastric muscle nerves, leading to gastrointestinal spasms, manifested as paroxysmal abdominal pain, and is also prone to causing stomach discomfort, diarrhea, vomiting, and other symptoms. Over time, this can also lead to malnutrition, and in severe cases, even anemia.
In addition, the large amount of sugar in beverages can cause cavities, and excessive food coloring is also one of the culprits inducing ADHD, which should not be taken lightly.
Precautions for Drinking Cold Drinks:
1. It is not advisable to eat cold drinks before or after a meal
Eating cold drinks before a meal can affect appetite, leading to nutritional deficiencies. While cold drinks contain nutrients like milk, their content is far less than that of a normal meal. Eating cold drinks immediately after a meal reduces gastric acid secretion, weakens the immune function of the digestive system, promotes bacterial growth, and can lead to intestinal diseases such as enteritis.
2. It is not advisable to consume large quantities at once
A large amount of cold drink entering the body can cause gastric mucosal blood vessels to constrict, reduce gastric juice secretion, and lead to decreased appetite and affect the body's digestion of food. The recommended intake of cold drinks at one time is about 150ml.
3. Do not consume too quickly
On a scorching summer day, chugging a can of frozen cola or biting into several popsicles is a great way to cool down. However, the harm to the body cannot be compensated for by that moment of refreshment. Drinking cold drinks should be savored slowly, just like drinking hot soup.