Hydration Doesn't Depend on Just Water
OMAHA, Neb. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Break out the colas! A new study shows people can maintain adequate hydration while drinking juices, soft drinks, or other fluids.
While little scientific study has ever been done on which fluids are necessary for people to remain hydrated, conventional wisdom has advised us to drink eight, eight-ounce glasses of plain water each day. Investigators from the University of Nebraska Medical Center previously found no difference between body weight, urinary function, or other factors in people who consumed caffeinated drinks and noncaffeinated drinks. They note, however, their study included plain water as one of the beverages consumed.
In this study, researchers examined two different diets, one including plain water as a beverage and one specifically excluding plain water. The research was carried out among 27 healthy, sedentary male volunteers, each of whom spent three days on each of the two diets for comparison purposes. Investigators tested the men after each period for body weight and urinary function.
Results show no difference in any of the test results between the time the men were on the diet containing plain water and the time when they were on the diet that excluded plain water.
The authors write, "This information is useful to those in crisis situations when no safe water supply is available, to those who travel to destinations with questionable water quality, to those who experience unneeded worry if they do not have access to plain water each day, and even to those whose personal preference does not include plain water."
SOURCE: Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2003;32:165-173
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