This is why you should drink hot drinks on a hot day

Which means we should eat Mr. Freezes today, right?

Next time another heatwave hits us, you'll be better prepared than last week's attempt to keep your Twister from melting on the Tube.

Why? Because it turns out the best solution for cooling down on a hot day is a cuppa, not a cup of ice. (Mum was right. Tea does cure everything.) 

A study has shown that hot drinks lower body heat storage more than cool drinks, because the body compensates by sweating more, and sweat evaporating is science's magical way of cooling you down.

Ollie Jay, the researcher at University of Ottawa’s School of Human Kinetics who carried out the study, said: “If you drink a hot drink, it does result in a lower amount of heat stored inside your body, provided the additional sweat that’s produced when you drink the hot drink can evaporate." This basically means you need to be in a hot and dry, not humid, climate and not be wearing clothes that could prevent your sweat on its journey to the sky. 

A second study by the same people also discovered that ice could actually heat you up. The scientists asked participants to consume either 37 degrees Celsius fluid or ice during exercise. Those who ate the ice had a reduced heat loss, as a result of a reduction in the amount of sweat evaporating from the skin. 

Basically: common sense is a lie. Forget everything. Pass us a cuppa, and listen to your mum.