Do warm drinks help your body warm up when you are cold?

Winter can be chilly and many of us reach for a bowl of warm soup or a cup of tea to help keep us warm. But one professor in Colorado wanted to know the science behind grabbing that steaming cup of coffee, tea or whatever your beverage of choice. 

Dr. Nathan Morris teaches human physiology at the University of Colorado- Colorado Springs. He helped run an intricate study testing how body temperatures respond to hot liquids.

"So the answer is, it will depend on the situation you are in, but most of the time, no they won't [warm you]," said Morris.

He said if you are outside on a cold day, water-based drinks or soups will stop the symptoms of cold but not actually raise your body temperature. 

"You drink hot water, your shivering reduces, your metabolic rate reduces, but your core temperature isn't affected. Our core temperature rarely changes," said Morris.

Morris said the warm liquids may bump up your temp a little if you drink them before you go outside and put your body under stress. 

But Morris said there is something behind reaching for that to-go cup before heading out, "It makes you feel more comfortable, keeps you from shivering that is going to make you feel a lot better."

He also said if you hold those warm drinks or soup while eating them outside, the cup can warm your hands, which also helps with the shivering. 

Morris also has done research on drinking cold beverages on hot days and found the same result- core body temperatures don't change.