Introduction: Although the repeated alternation between hot and cold water can increase the opportunity for bacterial growth, there is no definitive conclusion in the scientific community on how harmful mixing cold and hot water is to the body. The key factor in whether the water from a water dispenser is harmful is the quality of the bottled water. If the quality of the bottled water is guaranteed, then mixing cold and hot water from the dispenser is not a major problem.
A World Health Organization survey found: people's current drinking habits determine their health status 10 years later. This is manifested in the quality of physiological and neurological/mental functions, and whether one is prone to conditions such as kidney stones, gout, tumors, and obesity. According to a national survey in the United States, some people (especially infants, the elderly, and athletes) often do not feel thirsty or cannot fully express the sensation of thirst, and therefore are often in a state of mild dehydration.
Drinking water also requires balance
Drinking water also requires balance; too much or too little can affect the body. For example, when the body's water deficit accounts for 1% of body weight, one will feel thirsty, and at the same time, it will affect the body's temperature regulation function; at 2%, it will cause a feeling of depression and reduced appetite; and at 3% or more, it may lead to difficulty concentrating, headaches, irritability, and even fainting.
However, drinking more water is not always better. Under normal circumstances, the human kidneys can filter a maximum of 15-20 liters of blood per day. If water intake exceeds the kidneys' excretion capacity, it can cause excessive water in the body or water intoxication (more common in patients with kidney, liver diseases, and congestive heart failure).
10 Elements of Scientific Drinking Water
Element 1 – Proactive Drinking
Many people drink water for only one reason: they feel thirsty. However, this physiological response of thirst is not synchronized with the body's state of dehydration—"thirst" is relatively delayed. When a person feels thirsty, some cells in the body are already in a dehydrated state. At this point, even if you drink water, it is too late. Therefore, we call drinking water when thirsty passive drinking. If one passively drinks water for a long time, the body will be in a state of chronic dehydration, which is not conducive to the body's normal metabolism.
To avoid chronic dehydration in the body, we advocate proactive drinking to prevent the feeling of thirst. Proactive drinking is not only beneficial to the body's metabolism but also plays a role in "internal cleansing," helping to improve endocrine and visceral function and enhance the body's immunity.
Element 2 – Quantitative Drinking
The amount of water needed varies by age group.
The daily water intake for the elderly can be controlled at around 1500 milliliters.
In situations of heavy sweating, all adults should appropriately increase their water intake, while also supplementing with salt (2 grams of salt per 1000 milliliters of water) or fruits to maintain the body's water and electrolyte balance.
Element 3 – Create a Drinking Schedule
Everyone should create their own drinking schedule based on their daily routine and work characteristics, and stick to it persistently.
Element 4 – Develop Correct Drinking Habits
Do not drink a large amount of water at once (drinking more than 500 milliliters at a time). Drinking a large amount of water in a short period of time can not only easily affect digestive function but also cause reflexive excessive sweating, increasing the burden on the heart and kidneys.
When thirsty, do not just casually take two sips of water and be done with it. Drinking water when you are thirsty is already passive drinking; if you just casually take two sips, it is difficult to relieve the body's dehydration state. The correct way to drink is to slowly finish an entire glass of water (200 milliliters) at one time, which allows the body to effectively absorb and utilize it. The elderly can divide a glass of water into two parts (100 milliliters each) and drink it slowly.
Element 5 – Drink a Glass of Water in the Morning
Drinking a glass of water every morning allows the water to be quickly absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract. It can not only effectively reduce blood viscosity and speed up blood circulation but also expand blood vessels, enhance vascular elasticity, and purify the blood, which is especially beneficial for the prevention and treatment of diseases such as hypertension and cerebral embolism. Morning drinking can also effectively prevent constipation. Therefore, it is recommended that people drink 250 milliliters of warm water every morning.
Element 6 – Drink Water 1 Hour Before a Meal
At this time, drinking an appropriate amount of water (100-150 milliliters) allows the water to be transported to all tissue cells throughout the body via blood circulation. By the time of the meal, the body will produce sufficient digestive fluids. Therefore, it is recommended to drink water 1 hour before a meal to aid digestion.
Element 7 – Control the Temperature of the Water
Water that is too hot or too cold is not suitable for drinking. Hot water can easily burn the oral cavity, esophagus, and gastric mucosa, and has been confirmed as a physical factor leading to upper gastrointestinal cancer, while ice water can easily cause gastrointestinal spasms.
The suitable water temperature is: boil the water for 3 minutes, then let it cool naturally to 20-25°C. At this point, the gas in the water is reduced, the cohesive force increases, and the affinity with human cells is enhanced. The best results are achieved by drinking this kind of water regularly.
Element 8 – Do Not Drink Untreated Water
Untreated raw water may contain chlorine, bacteria, parasite eggs, residual organic substances, etc., which can pose a potential threat to human health and lead to acute gastroenteritis and some infectious diseases. Therefore, not drinking raw water should be a drinking safety rule that everyone abides by.
Element 9 – Do Not Drink Stale Water
Boiled water exposed to the air for more than 4 hours is easily contaminated by bacteria and impurities, and its biological activity can be reduced by more than 70%. Water stored at room temperature for 3 days can produce 0.914 milligrams of nitrite per liter. Drinking such stale water frequently can not only reduce the blood's oxygen-carrying capacity but also poses a potential cancer risk. Limescale is a mixture of various heavy metals (including cadmium, lead, arsenic, etc.) and salts with calcium carbonate as the main component, and these substances are harmful to the body. Therefore, you should try to descale the kettle and pour out the water at the bottom of the bottle in a timely manner.
Element 10 – Do Not Repeatedly Boiled Water
Water that has been boiled for a long time, and water repeatedly boiled in an electric water heater, is called "re-boiled water." Nitrates in this water can turn into nitrites, and the content of heavy metals in the water will also increase. Long-term consumption of this water can not only interfere with gastrointestinal function, causing diarrhea and bloating, but also poses a potential cancer risk.
7 Habits for Healthy Drinking Water
1. Boil your own water.
2. Drink good quality bottled water.
3. Drink natural good water.
4. The water in the water heater cannot be drunk.
5. In the morning, first let the water from the tap run for a while.
6. The water dispenser needs to be cleaned once every two months.
7. Choose a stainless steel electric kettle.