Water is important in our daily life. When you are thirsty, you might want to drink water. However, a new study has found that drinking water is not the best way to stay hydrated (补水的).
Water does a good job of hydrating the body quickly, according to British researchers. However, drinks with a little bit of sugar, fat or protein (蛋白质) can do a better job.
Why is that? The more you drink, the faster the drink leaves your stomach and goes into your bloodstream. There, it can dilute (稀释) the body's fluids (液体) and keep you hydrated. Milk, for example, has some sugar, protein and fat. These make fluids leave your stomach more slowly and keep you hydrated for a longer time.
However, drinks with more sugar, such as fruit juice or soda, are not more hydrating. When these drinks go into the small intestine (小肠), they take more water from the body into the small intestine to help deal with the sugar. This will make you feel even thirstier.
Which drinks hydrate us the most?
| No. 1: Milk | It's more hydrating than water or other drinks. |
| No. 2: Water and coffee | A cup of coffee is about as hydrating as a cup of water. However, drinking two to four cups of coffee will make you thirstier. You can put one or two spoonfuls of milk in your coffee to keep you hydrated. |
| No. 3 Fruit, Juice and soda | If you have to choose between these drinks and water, always go with water. |
