Can Cold Water Hurt Your Stomach?

If you love chilled water but have heard you should drink water at room temperature because cold water can hurt your stomach, here’s some good news: Unless you have a rare swallowing disorder, you can stock up on the ice cubes again.

“There’s no scientific evidence that cold water impacts the digestive system in any significant way,” says Kaushik Govindaraju, DO, an internal medicine specialist with Medical Offices of Manhattan in New York City.

“There are beliefs passed down from Ayurvedic practices and old wives’ tales claiming that cold water slows down gastric motility or dilutes the digestive enzymes in the gut, but there’s a major flaw in that argument,” he says.

The flaw is that our bodies stay very thermoregulated, he says. That means water will not stay cold for longer than a few seconds after drinking thanks to the body’s warmth, so a cold drink will usually be warm by the time it reaches your stomach.

There’s one exception, however: a rare condition known as achalasia. It leads to difficulty with swallowing and regurgitation that may prompt cramps when drinking cold water.

Why Cold Water Can Hurt Your Stomach if You Have Achalasia

• Heartburn
• Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)
• Feeling like food is stuck in the throat
• Swallowed food or saliva coming back up into the throat
• Belching
• Coughing at nighttime
• Intermittent chest pain
• Unexpected weight loss
• Vomiting
• Sensation of choking
• Aspiration of food contents into the lungs

Treatment may involve a surgery called myotomy that cuts the muscle causing the lower esophagus to stay contracted or nonsurgical options, like botulinum toxin (Botox) injections.

Apart from the presence of achalasia, it’s unlikely that cold water on its own would be causing stomach issues, much less any problems with the rest of the digestive system, says Dr. Govindaraju.

“The few studies that have looked into the effect of water temperature on digestion have not been conclusive, as they have been too small in size or are unable to show clinically significant findings,” he says. “Physiologically, the temperature of water will be essentially negligible by the time it reaches your stomach, as the body temperature will warm the water after you drink it.”

However, if you’re experiencing any pain or discomfort, and especially if it’s accompanied by other symptoms, it’s a good idea to check in with your healthcare team.

When to See a Doctor

“If the symptoms are consistent and severe, it could be an indication that something is wrong,” says Taylor Bachert, DO, a family medicine practitioner at Community Health Network in Greenwood, Indiana.

“If you notice it frequently, I would recommend talking to a doctor, especially if you’re getting worse over time or if you have weight loss, vomiting, bloody or dark stools, or feel food or liquids getting stuck in your throat or chest,” she says.

The Takeaway

• Although some people believe cold water will hurt your stomach or dilute your digestive enzymes, there’s no scientific evidence for either claim.
• A rare condition called achalasia may cause pain when you drink cold water, but you would likely have symptoms when eating or drinking anything of any temperature.
• If you’re experiencing issues when drinking cold water, talk with your doctor. It may be a gastrointestinal dysfunction problem rather than the water itself.