Why does a cold soda on a hot day taste so good? Science, of course
There’s a reason why you grab that ice-cold Coke instead of a glass of tap water when you’re thirsty.
It’s science.
“Our results confirmed what people tend naturally to do when they are thirsty: drink a cold and often carbonated beverage to feel a sensation of relief,” said Catherine Peyrot des Gachons, a sensory biologist at Monell and the lead author of a new study.
The study — “Sensory Thirst Quenching” — found that cold liquid reduced thirst more than room temperature drinks and that “adding carbonation to a cold beverage further enhanced the beverage’s thirst-quenching properties.”
Monell Center in Philadelphia calls itself the “world’s only independent, non-profit scientific institute dedicated to basic research on taste and smell.”
The study investigated “several oral sensations to identify which have an impact on thirst and influence the amount of liquid people drink” by conducting an experiment on 98 people.
The people did not eat or drink overnight and then were given toast and jelly for breakfast to raise their thirst level to “strong.” Then each drank 13.5 ounces of water — some at room temperature and some refrigerated, some plain and some carbonated.
After a period, the participants could then drink as much room-temperature, non-carbonated water as they wanted.
The researchers said tests ruled out other qualities like sweetness, leaving cold and carbonation as having specific effect. It’s in the brain, researchers said. They said chemically creating the cooling sensation had a similar effect as actual cold water.
“This shows that it’s the perception of coolness that’s influencing thirst, not the actual coolness itself,” said sensory biologist Paul Breslin.
The researchers have aims for the greater good, trying to find ways to help at-risk populations get properly hydrated.
This story was originally published October 21, 2016 at 5:38 PM with the headline "Why does a cold soda on a hot day taste so good? Science, of course."