On hot days, we lose a significant amount of fluid and try to replenish it in various ways. Kvass, lemonade, cold coffee, green tea, or soda? While you may drink the same amount of liquid, not every drink effectively quenches your thirst equally. So which one is preferable?
If you are suffering from thirst, the best solution is plain water — it does not trigger the desire to drink more and effectively restores the water balance. However, according to research, milk and orange juice are the best at retaining water in the body.
In hot weather, the feeling of thirst becomes more persistent than ever. To quench it, we turn to various refreshing drinks — from plain water to Coca-Cola. Nevertheless, even with the same volume of liquid consumed, these drinks vary in how well they satisfy thirst. Which one is better to consume on hot days?
Researchers from the University of Tasmania, citing data from colleagues at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, claim that the most optimal option among all drinks is plain water. In the heat, sugary drinks — including milk and juice — should be avoided. They contain a lot of carbohydrates, do not quench thirst very well, and may increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Until recently, scientists did not have a clear metric to assess how different drinks quench thirst. However, British researchers have recently developed an analogue of the glycemic index that reflects the degree of thirst quenching. The higher this index, the less fluid is excreted from the body as urine within two hours after consuming the drink. Water was used as the baseline, assigned an index of '1'.
According to this study, the highest hydration index was demonstrated by milk, saline solution, and orange juice. Unfortunately, kvass was not included in the analysis — it would be interesting to know its hydration index. Coffee and carbonated water had the worst effect on the body's water balance — their index was slightly below one.
