Thought water was enough to quench your thirst? Think again! A recent study provides evidence that could completely change the way we hydrate.
Milk is much more moisturizing than water. Photo: The Truth Archive
According to CNN, Scottish researchers have discovered that there are more effective alternatives to keep the body hydrated.
A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, demonstrated that drinks containing a moderate amount of nutrients, such as sugar, fat or protein, can provide us with more lasting hydration than plain water.
Ronald Maughan, professor at the University of St. Andrews, and author of the study, explains that the difference in hydration is due to the way our bodies react to different compounds in drinks. The volume of fluid consumed directly influences the level of hydration: the more you drink, the faster the fluids in the body are diluted and an optimal level of hydration is reached.
In addition to the amount of liquid we drink, what’s in a drink influences how well it hydrates us. For example, milk, due to the substances it has (lactose, proteins and fats), stays longer in the stomach and keeps us hydrated longer compared to water.
Both milk and diarrhea solutions have a substance called sodium. Sodium has the property of attracting and retaining water in the body. That’s why when we drink milk or diarrhea solutions, our body loses less water through urine and we feel more hydrated.
Even though the juice stays longer in the stomach, when it reaches the intestine, the sugar in it is so concentrated that it draws water from the cells of our body to dilute it. It’s like sugar “steals” water from the body to feel better.
The process is as follows: the sugar in sugary drinks creates a high concentration of sugar in the gut. To balance this concentration, our body is forced to send water into the intestine. Thus, the water that should hydrate our cells is used to dilute the sugar. That’s why these drinks, although they seem to hydrate us, have the opposite effect. In addition, the calories from sugar are easy to assimilate, but they do not give us the feeling of satiety that we have after eating a solid meal.
Alcohol acts as a diuretic, causing the body to excrete more urine, so the hydration of alcoholic beverages depends on the total volume of the drink.
“Beer will cause less water loss than whiskey because you drink more liquid with beer. Hard liquor is dehydrating, while diluted liquor is not.”, A explained Ronald Maughan.
According to Maughan’s research, a coffee with about 80 milligrams of caffeine has a diuretic effect (making us urinate more) that is offset by the amount of water it contains. Thus, coffee, under these conditions, can be considered as hydrating as water.
