Nasal mucus velocity and nasal airflow resistance were measured in 15 healthy subjects
before and at 5 and 30 minutes after drinking hot water by sip or straw, hot chicken
soup by sip or straw, and cold water by sip. A sham drinking procedure with straw
was also employed. Hot water by sip increased nasal mucus velocity from 6.2 to 8.4
mm per min, hot chicken soup by sip from 6.9 to 9.2 mm per min, and chicken soup by
straw from 6.4 to 7.8 mm per min five minutes after administration. These increases
were statistically significant compared to cold water, hot water by straw and sham.
All values returned to their baseline at 30 minutes except cold water which significantly
decreased the nasal mucus velocity from 7.3 to 4.5 mm per min. There were no significant
changes from baseline in nasal airflow resistance 5 and 30 minutes following the above
treatments. We conclude that drinking hot fluids transiently increases nasal mucus
velocity in part or totally through the nasal inhalation of water vapor. Hot chicken
soup, either through the aroma sensed at the posterior nares or through a mechanism
related to taste, appears to possess an additional substance for increasing nasal
mucus velocity. Finally, hot liquid might be superior to cold liquids in the management
of fluids in upper respiratory tract infections.
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Article Info
Publication History
Accepted:
April 6,
1978
Received:
February 20,
1978
Footnotes
Supported in part by Grant HL-17836 from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
Identification
Copyright
© 1978 The American College of Chest Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
