Weather of Arabia - According to a study conducted in 2016 and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it appears that water is not the best drink for hydration, at least in terms of fluid balance in the body in the long term. Energy drinks are also not the best option.
Actually, the somewhat shocking answer is milk. Both skim and whole milk have been shown to be more hydrating than water, even some adjusting for the baseline water content of each beverage.
Well, hydration involves not only balancing fluids but also fluid retention, which means that the benefits of the drink are not quickly lost due to urination.
Nutrients in milk such as fat, lactose - the milk sugar - and sodium - salt - contribute to its ability to stay in the body for longer, thus providing more hydration.
Sodium in particular is the most common electrolyte in the human body according to the Cleveland Clinic, and electrolytes are especially beneficial in terms of maintaining fluid balance in the body.
The study authors, who come from the University of St. Andrews Medical School in Scotland, developed a methodology for a beverage hydration index. About 80 people took part in the study. And the amazing benefits of milk weren't the only surprise revealed by the results. Orange juice was also shown to be surprisingly effective in hydration. .
Proper hydration is certainly critical to many bodily functions, the Harvard School of Global Health points out that we feel better and think better when our bodies are properly hydrated, and hydration also plays an important role in maintaining body temperature and providing needed nourishment to our cells
Water is traditionally the recommended beverage for this essential hydration.
In fact, there is a minimum amount of water you should drink per day to stay hydrated, for men this total is 3.7 liters, for women it is 3 liters
But water isn't the only beverage we should be drinking, and other options can also be very beneficial in helping us stay hydrated. As the Mayo Clinic points out, one of the reasons why milk and orange juice are so hydrating is that they're primarily made up of water. In fact, the water content of both milk and orange juice is close to 90 percent.
However, not all drinks are equally hydrating, despite their high water content. For example, sweetened soft drinks may seem hydrating in the short term but cause water loss in the long term. That's because water is needed to help your body process the sugars in these drinks. Coffee and tea are more hydrating, especially when a little milk is added to offset the diuretic effects of caffeine. Diuretics, which remove water from the body through frequent urination, can be dehydrating.
In order to measure fluid retention and long-term effects of hydration; The authors of a 2016 study measured hydration two or more hours after consuming the beverage.
The study demonstrated that both milk (skim and whole) and orange juice are more hydrating than water, with better measurements up to four hours after consumption. After adjusting for water content, only the milk was significantly more hydrated.
"This study tells us a lot of what we already know," noted nutritionist Melissa Majumdar at CNN Health, also noting that electrolytes — such as sodium and potassium — contribute to better hydration, while calories in beverages slow stomach emptying and thus slow the release of urination. "
However, this does not mean that we should rely on milk instead of water for most of our hydration needs. Milk, despite its excellent hydration benefits, also contains a lot of calories and carbohydrates. But it can also be a great way to recover from intense workouts.
Not only is water the most efficient beverage for hydration, drinking large amounts of it can also be harmful. This is because our kidneys can only process a limited amount of water per day. In fact, an abundance of water can lead to serious medical problems, according to the Mayo Clinic. Normally, your kidneys can process up to 28 liters of water per day, according to Medical News Today. There is a limit to the amount that can be dispensed in an hour. Therefore, if you drink more than 1 liter per hour, it will not be healthy.
Of course, our hydration levels must be in balance with our nutritional levels, and water has the important benefit of having no calories. But this is not the case with milk or orange juice, which although excellent for short-term hydration, cannot be taken - at least in a healthy way - close to the amount of water. So while water may not be the best hydration drink in terms of efficiency, it's still the drink we should be drinking more than anything else, as noted by UC Davis Health.
Source: foodrepublic
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