How can certain liquids we drink, like coffee, soda, and alcohol, dehydrate us? Aren’t they all mostly water? Shouldn’t they hydrate us instead?
In: Chemistry
this is kind of a common misconception. and everything i am about to say comes from a talk i listened to from a nutritionist who works with Division 1 (college) and Olympic athletes.
If you’re severely dehydrated, pretty much all liquid drinks apart from hard liquor and beer and wine, will help you. Alcohol is the real one that doesnt work well.
The problem with alcohol is that the chemical alcohol is a diuretic, it makes you pee. so youre still taking in the water in the drink, but the alcohol is stimulating your kidneys and bladder to pee out more water. but even then, if you’re severely dehydrated, low % alcohol beverages will probably help you than just letting yourself go without drinking anything.
Another is high concentration shots of espresso won’t really help you, as caffeine also stimulates going to the bathroom.
But most drinks, sodas, coffees. teas, sports drinks, will hydrate you. The kicker is that they just wont hydrate you as well as plain old water. So when youre working hard, sweating a lot, you should be drinking plenty of water. But if youre just sitting around all day, a cup of coffee and a glass of soda and no water aren’t going to lead to you shriveling up like a grape.
Latest Answers