NP, Friday 14 2020

[mlooney 3,594]

Here is.

It's hard to explain why beer and other alcoholic drinks don't keep you hydrated. 

[Pharaoh RutinTutin 1,619]

Not so hard

Alcohol is toxic to humans
To eliminate metabolized byproducts of alcohol, the kidneys must also take more water out of the blood

Either that, or the gnome that dwells in your gut makes you forget to drink the weak when you drink the strong

[Darth Fluffy 338]

5 hours ago, mlooney said:

Here is.

It's hard to explain why beer and other alcoholic drinks don't keep you hydrated. 

Not not convinced beer doesn't hydrate you. I have experienced, and have heard others comment, that after a hot weather workout, like mowing a lawn or running, a beer is an effective thirst quencher. It's at least somewhat nutritious (I expect that depends greatly on the brand, style, and processing), in particular in the B complex from the yeast. It's toward the shallow end of the pool, alcohol content wise, even if you're not drinking US beer.

 

 

[hkmaly 490]

5 hours ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

Alcohol is toxic to humans
To eliminate metabolized byproducts of alcohol, the kidneys must also take more water out of the blood

That's nice and optimistic view but kidneys are not THAT smart. True, alcohol causes kidney to take more water out of the blood, but that's not true for everything toxic, so saying it's because alcohol is toxic is not correct.

Now, there is lot of water in beer and not that much of alcohol ; I wonder if it's really that serious. But on this topic I would believe people who have more experience with drinking it than I have.

There is also that little issue that in true dark ages, water was rarely clean and therefore quite dangerous, and I don't believe they actually HAD it in pub ; most likely, their least alcoholic drink would be weak beer (or maybe stuff like ale, mead or cider - not sure what would be weakest). Of course, claiming that the game happens in dark ages/mediaval time is simplification at best.

[detrius 20]

Well, after the kidneys have taken the water, it doesn't just stay there.

Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning you have to pee more.

And if that water doesn't get replaced, you become dehydrated.

[hkmaly 490]

5 minutes ago, detrius said:

Well, after the kidneys have taken the water, it doesn't just stay there.

Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning you have to pee more.

And if that water doesn't get replaced, you become dehydrated.

... which actually suggest that it's important to drink water AFTER peeing.

[ijuin 594]

Beer hydrates enough that you can get by without additional water--the fact that people have gone long periods drinking mainly beer and no plain water and not suffered is proof enough of that (since as mentioned above in many places in the past, the water was not fit for drinking). Distilled booze, on the other hand, definitely has too much alcohol and too little water to be a net thirst quencher.