Which drink is the best to hydrate? Hint: it’s not water

When you’re thirsty, what drinks are best for staying hydrated?

Of course, you could always have a glass of water, but water isn’t the most hydrating beverage, according to a St. Andrews University in Scotland, which compared the hydration responses of several different beverages.

Researchers have found that while water, still or still, does a good job of quickly hydrating the body, beverages with a little sugar, fat or protein do an even better job of keeping us hydrated for longer.

The reason has to do with how our bodies respond to drinks, according to Ronald Maughan, a professor at St. Andrews Medical School and author of the study.

One factor is the volume of a given drink: the more you drink, the faster the drink leaves your stomach and is absorbed into your bloodstream, where it can dilute your body fluids and hydrate you.

Milk is more moisturizing than water

The other factor that affects how much a drink hydrates is related to the nutrient composition of a drink. For example, milk has been found to be even more hydrating than regular water because it contains the sugar lactose, some protein, and some fat, which help to delay the emptying of stomach fluid and maintain hydration over a long period of time. time.

Milk also has sodium, which acts like a sponge, retaining water in the body and producing less urine.

The same can be said for oral rehydration drinks used to treat diarrhea. These contain small amounts of sugar, as well as sodium and potassium, which can also help promote water retention in the body.

“This study tells us a lot about what we already know: electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium, contribute to better hydration, while calories from drinks cause slower gastric emptying and therefore more urine output,” said Melissa Majumdar, a registered dietitian. registered, personal trainer, and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, who was not involved in the study.

sugar in moderation

But here’s where it gets tricky: drinks with more concentrated sugars, like fruit juices or colas, aren’t necessarily as hydrating as their lower-sugar cousins.

They may sit a little longer in the stomach and empty more slowly compared to plain water, but once these beverages enter the small intestine, their high concentration of sugars are diluted during a physiological process called osmosis.

This process actually “pulls” water from the body into the small intestine to dilute the sugars in these beverages. And technically, anything that’s inside your gut is pretty much outside your body.

Not only are juices and sodas less hydrating, but they also offer additional sugars and calories that don’t fill us up as much as solid foods, Majumdar explained. If the choice is between soft drinks and water for hydration, always opt for water.

After all, our kidneys and liver depend on water to flush toxins out of our bodies, and water also plays a key role in maintaining skin suppleness and suppleness. It’s the cheapest moisturizer you’ll find.

While it’s important to stay hydrated — it keeps our joints lubricated, helps prevent infections, and transports nutrients to our cells — in most situations, people don’t need to worry too much about the hydration in their drinks.

“If you’re thirsty, your body will tell you to drink more,” Maughan said. But for athletes who train seriously in hot conditions with heavy sweat losses, or someone whose cognitive function can be negatively affected by working long hours without drinking breaks, hydration becomes a critical issue.

Can beer and latte keep me hydrated?

Alcohol acts as a diuretic, making you urinate more, so when it comes to alcoholic beverages, hydration will depend on the total volume of a drink.

“Beer would cause less water loss than whiskey because you get more liquid with beer,” Maughan said. “Strong alcoholic beverages will dehydrate you, diluted alcoholic beverages will not.”

When it comes to coffee, hydration will depend on how much caffeine you consume. A regular coffee with about 80 milligrams of caffeine would be as hydrating as water, according to Maughan’s research.

Consuming more than 300 mg of caffeine, or about 2 to 4 cups of coffee, can cause you to lose excess fluids, as caffeine causes a mild, short-term diuretic effect.

This is more likely to happen to someone who doesn’t normally consume caffeine, and it can be compensated for by adding a tablespoon or two of milk to your cup of coffee.

*Lisa Drayer is a registered dietitian, author and CNN contributor on health and nutrition. This story was originally published in September 2019 and has been updated.