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Silly Rumor: Hot Water and Heart Attacks

There's a silly chain email going around that claims drinking cold water, especially after meals, will increase one's chance of a heart attack (and in fact, developing cancer). The email postures drinking hot water in the form of tea as a healthy alternative, claiming it dilutes the oils in food rather than congeals it. I think this is a bogus and foolish as it gets, but several of my friends and family believe it's true. I'm hoping a cardiologist can set the record straight. Thanks.
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670314 tn?1247875773
A related discussion, Gastric/Heart connection was started.
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Avatar universal
A related discussion, medicines and heartrate was started.
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242509 tn?1196922598
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
There is as far as I know no connection between drinking cold drinks or water and heart attacks.  After a meal blood flow is increased into the gut and intestines which may place increased strain on an already disease heart.  This is why a small percentage of patients can have anginal attacks following meals especially large meals.  But the pathophysiology of a heart attack is quite different from that of angina, as it includes not stable plaques but rupture atherosclerotic plaques.
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Avatar universal
Yes. There's a similar posting on Snopes, but it only concerns cancer. Snopes considers it false. However, my friends think Snopes is wrong. Hopefully, they'll will understand it better when a physician explains why this is untrue.

http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/coldwater.asp
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Avatar universal
Funny, I just got that exact same email two days ago.  Did you check it out on urban legends?
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