Hot drinks give cold comfort
11 December 2008
This is weak science. The way the study has been designed does not give a meaningful answer to the research question 
Dr Annabel Bentley, Bupa's assistant medical director
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Scientists have found that drinking a hot fruit-flavoured drink can relieve symptoms of common cold and flu.
The researchers at Cardiff University looked at the effects of having a hot cordial fruit flavoured drink on 30 people with cold symptoms. Half the group were given a hot drink and the other half were given the same drink at room temperature. The researchers measured how blocked each person's nose was using a machine to measure airflow before and after the drink. They also asked them to rate their symptoms including sneezing, runny nose, coughing, sore throat, chilliness and tiredness.
The results showed that having a cold or hot drink did not improve the physical symptoms of a cold. But surprisingly, both groups in the study claimed they felt better, especially those who had had the hot drink. How can this be?
Old wives tales
The placebo effect may have been at work in this study. The health information team asked lead researcher Professor Ron Eccles for his thoughts. "The drinks may provide symptom relief by a placebo effect where the subject believes that the drink will provide relief due to prevailing folklore." So is he saying that simply believing old wives tales about hot toddies makes you feel better? "Belief is a factor," said Professor Eccles, but he went on to point out that the effects of the hot drink were considerable and even reduced symptoms such as sneezing.
Another factor in these seemingly contradictory results may have been that each person in the study was sitting down in a laboratory for 30 minutes while they had the drink. Could this period of rest have helped them to feel better? Professor Eccles disagrees. "People usually feel worse after sitting quietly in our labs," he said.
The study was relatively small with only 30 university staff and students involved. We asked Professor Eccles if more research needs to be done on a larger scale. "Our results already have statistical significance," he replied. By this he means that mathematically the results show that the symptoms of cold improved because of the hot drink, not because of chance. But would a larger, more representative group of people have felt differently after having the hot drink?
Common cold sense?
Dr Annabel Bentley, Bupa's assistant medical director, commented on the study: "This is weak science. The way the study has been designed does not give a meaningful answer to the research question." She added that we shouldn't be blinded by science when commonsense will do, saying: "Trying to prove that a hot drink relieves symptoms of colds is like trying to prove that a parachute is useful when you jump out of an aeroplane."
Related information
- Cold and flu factsheet
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs) factsheet
- Paracetamol factsheet
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