Do caffeinated drinks like Coca‑Cola count towards my recommended daily water intake? Yes. Sparkling soft drinks, including reduced and no sugar, no calorie options, contain between 85% and 99% water, which means they can help quench thirst and count towards your recommended daily fluid intake. Did you know?
It does, but only when consumed in large amounts or if you're already dehydrated. While soda contains caffeine, it also contains a large amount of water. This fluid negates the mild diuretic effects of caffeine.
In fact, water may not even crack the top five of the most hydrating drinks out there. According to a study from Scotland's St. Andrew's University, milk, Pedialyte and soda top the list of most hydrating beverages.
Drinking only soda may seem like you're keeping yourself from dehydrating, but sadly, Coke and Pepsi may cool you down on a hot day, but they aren't going to give your body the water it needs, and it's all thanks to caffeine. Caffeine is a natural diuretic, and it works to make your body get rid of fluid through urine.
Seltzer is the better choice here all around! While it's only slightly more hydrating than soda, it doesn't contain any of the added sugar or artificial sweeteners that soda does, and it is naturally caffeine-free.
In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends an oral rehydration solution — a fancy term for a mixture of sodium, potassium, and glucose — as the best way to return to normal. When electrolytes and glucose are perfectly balanced, you can rehydrate up to three times as fast as with plain water.
It's no secret that water is the healthiest beverage option out there—no calories, no sugar, just hydration. But while water only has positive benefits for you, soda has nothing for you.
Even one or two colas a day could increase your risk of type 2 diabetes by more than 20%. Sugar intake is linked to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and excess fat, all of which increase the risk of heart disease. Colas and other sugary drinks have been linked to an increased risk of pancreatic cancer.
Coconut water is, undoubtedly, the best hydrating drink. It is low in calories and rich in potassium and is known to have better hydrating qualities than plain water.
Research shows that milk is one of the best beverages for hydration, even better than water or sports drinks. Researchers credit milk's natural electrolytes, carbohydrates, and protein for its effectiveness.
Water cooler advice tells us soda is off-limits because it's dehydrating. The logic goes that soda, with its caffeine and sugar, doesn't replace any of the fluids you're losing while you sweat. The caffeine, which can be a diuretic, will actually make you need to urinate more quickly, and you'll lose more fluid.
Drinking caffeine-containing beverages as part of a normal lifestyle doesn't cause fluid loss in excess of the volume ingested. While caffeinated drinks may have a mild diuretic effect — meaning that they may cause the need to urinate — they don't appear to increase the risk of dehydration.
A variety of substances can cause dehydration, these include alcohol, stimulants such as cocaine and ecstasy and opioids such as heroin or codeine.
In addition, beverages such as milk, juice and herbal teas are composed mostly of water. Even caffeinated drinks — such as coffee and soda — can contribute to your daily water intake.
Soda is not good for a person's health because it contains lots of sugar. Consuming too much soda may lead to weight gain, diabetes, and cardiovascular conditions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , most people in America consume too many added sugars, which can lead to health problems.
If you drink only soda as your beverage of choice, you may be at risk for weight gain. Consuming an extra 3,500 calories leads to 1 pound of weight gain, explains the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Believe it or not, the chemicals in coke act similarly to gastric acid, which helps to digest food, and can work to dissolve a gastric phytobezoar, a blockage in the stomach that can lead to bowel obstruction, infection, and in some cases, death.
“The sugar in the drinks … swish through the brain, you get the dopamine rewarding you, and then the effect of the dopamine surge is gone almost as fast as it arrived, leaving your brain wanting more,” Wenk said. In fact, one review concluded that sugar can even be more rewarding and attractive than cocaine.
Although The Food and Drug Administration believe the levels of benzene found in soda have been tested and should not be a cause for alarm, many companies may not devote the time and effort to monitor the levels. Therefore, most strict recommendations indicate that you should not drink more than one can of soda a week.
Drinking a glass of water before bed is a way to rehydrate the body and help you sleep better at night.
Skim milk came in first followed by "oral rehydration" drinks like Pedialyte. Next came full-fat milk, orange juice, soda, diet soda, cold tea, tea, sports drinks, still water, sparkling water, lager, and finally, coffee. So, next time you're on a long-haul flight ask for a tall frosty glass of milk.