Cardioautonomic responses to acute ingestion of ice water and its correlation to body mass index.

Background A significant relationship has been documented in the literature between the autonomic nervous system imbalance and cardiovascular mortality. In patients with autonomic failure, water ingestion has been shown to increase blood pressure (BP), induce bradycardia, and cause low heart rate variability (HRV). A few studies showed the altered HRV as an acute effect of ice water intake in healthy subjects.