We decided to test the scientific basis behind the common belief that alcohol can warm up a frozen person and prevent hypothermia in someone who has consumed it before.
It’s important to note that the consumption of ethanol is the leading contributing factor to death from hypothermia in urban areas. Scientists have also reported that alcoholics are at a higher risk of accidental hypothermia. Despite subjective observations that alcohol consumption can make us feel warmer, it’s a deception – the feeling of warmth is actually due to blood rushing to the skin, leaving other parts of the body, including internal organs, colder.
Scientists have found that the effect of alcohol on the body’s ability to maintain a specific temperature, also known as thermoregulation, depends on the amount consumed. According to research, low doses of alcohol don’t affect the body’s ability to regulate temperature. However, as the amount of alcohol increases in the bloodstream, the frequency of thermoregulation disorders also increases. One study conducted by British scientists found that consuming a small amount of alcohol (0.34 g of ethanol per 1 kg of body weight) didn’t affect the cooling rate of volunteers, and there was no difference compared to those who drank water. On the other hand, in a different study where participants consumed a higher dose of alcohol (0.79 g per 1 kg of body weight), the body cooling rate increased significantly, and subjects had a slower warming process at room temperature. Additionally, they rated the ambient temperature as warmer and shivered less compared to the control group.
Animal studies have helped scientists understand the mechanisms of thermoregulation and the effects of high doses of alcohol on them. For instance, in one study, monkeys received a dose of 0.5 to 1 gram per kilogram of body weight, resulting in a significant decrease in thermoregulation compared to the control group. The monkeys aged nine years and older were the most susceptible to cooling, and their average lifespan was between 10-12 years. In another study, rats were given a higher dose of alcohol, ranging from 2 to 6 grams per kilogram, which resulted in an even lower ability to maintain body temperature, even at room temperature. These experiments have revealed that the relationship between alcohol dosage and its effect on thermoregulation is not linear, but rather a “threshold phenomenon.” This means that low and moderate doses of alcohol do not affect thermoregulation in response to cold, but high or extreme doses significantly alter thermoregulation.
The researchers’ scientific findings have been made more understandable by converting the data into everyday measurements. An average person weighs 62 kilograms, and 12.6 grams of ethanol is equivalent to 40 grams of 40% alcohol, according to the World Health Organization. Therefore, a dose of 66 grams of 40% alcohol is required to not affect thermoregulation. If someone consumes more than this amount, it can have a negative impact on their body’s ability to maintain heat. This means that drinking 66 grams of vodka doesn’t offer any benefits in terms of preventing hypothermia or warming up, and drinking water is just as effective. In fact, larger doses of alcohol are not only ineffective but also harmful.
Alcohol affects thermoregulation by impacting plasma glucose concentration. Research shows that alcohol consumption inhibits glucose production in the liver, leading to hypoglycemia. This condition results in increased sweating, relaxed peripheral blood vessels, widened lumen, and reduced cold shivering, all of which lead to further heat loss and make warming up even more challenging, even in warm environments. Furthermore, alcohol consumption reduces critical perception. This means that when combined with the drowsiness that often accompanies hypothermia, a person who consumes alcohol in the cold may not accurately assess their freezing point.
Drinking alcohol before exposure to cold, drinking alcoholic beverages in cold weather, or trying to warm up a frozen person with “one hundred grams” of alcohol won’t protect the body from the cold or enhance its thermoregulation. These actions can give a dangerous illusion of warmth, which can result in more severe consequences than the initial freezing.
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