Cold Water Cools Body Better

No, readers are not expected to be surprised, just advised that something that seems like common sense has been proved true in a scientific study.  The Wall Street Journal reports that researchers put 45 physically active men about 30 years old through two workouts that included 60 minutes of strength and cardiovascular conditioning followed by performance tests in broad jumping, weightlifting and stationary cycling. Yikes!  The subjects drank the same amounts of water at 39 degrees Fahrenheit in one session and at 72 degrees Fahrenheit in the other. They also swallowed a biodegradable sensor pill that transmitted core-temperature changes to an external monitor every 15 minutes. The researchers found that the workouts increased the subjects’ core body temperature 2.2 percent in the cold-water experiment and 3.1 percent in the warm-water experiment. Yes, cold water slowed the rise in temperature, and yes, it’s common sense. Wait, there’s more: Performance results between the two sessions weren’t significantly different, although half of the participants improved in the broad jump with cold water. Read an abstract of the study here.