Ice, Chinese consumers' newest crush

Heated discussion

The iced drink trend has also sparked a major cultural debate.

In traditional Chinese health practices, cold foods and drinks have long been treated with caution.

Traditional Chinese medicine posits that winter is characterized by an abundance of cold energy, which can easily harm the body's yang energy.

Consuming raw and cold foods can allow this cold energy to penetrate the body, leading to stagnation of qi and blood, and resulting in symptoms like stomach pain and menstrual cramps. Cold water is believed to harm the spleen and stomach, weakening yang and potentially causing digestive issues such as diarrhea or loss of appetite. In contrast, hot water is thought to disperse cold energy, promote the circulation of qi and blood, and warm and nourish the body.

Wang Bo, chief physician of the department of gastroenterology at Tongji Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, told Life Times media outlet that moderate consumption of cold drinks can have some benefits.

"Cold drinks can help cool the body and relieve heat. They can also stimulate the many cold-sensitive receptors in the mouth and on the tongue, sending signals to the brain that produce a feeling of pleasure," Wang said.

From a traditional Chinese medicine perspective, however, cold drinks are best consumed between noon and 3 pm, when yang energy is believed to be at its strongest, and consuming ice during this period is considered less likely to cause harm from excessive cold.

Zhang Min, an acupuncture practitioner at Longhua Hospital affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said in an article published in the Shanghai Observer that the debate over whether it's better to drink hot or cold water is not a simple one. "Modern nutrition and medicine increasingly emphasize individual differences, suggesting that what might be 'poison' for one person could be 'medicine' for another."