# Is water less thirst-quenching than flavoured drinks? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 14, 2007, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-water-less-thirst-quenching-than-flavoured-drinks/400112 "2007-04-14T15:25:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PoorWarblingOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4491bb/32.png) [@PoorWarblingOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorWarblingOne)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-water-less-thirst-quenching-than-flavoured-drinks/400112/1 "2007-04-14T15:25:04Z")
I may be crazy, but it always seems to me if I’m thirsty that water doesn’t make much difference, while fizzy drinks or fruit juice/squash kill the thirst pretty quickly. Is there a reason for this? Is it something which only happens to me, or a recognised phenomenon? ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-water-less-thirst-quenching-than-flavoured-drinks/400112/2 "2007-04-14T15:35:30Z")
Because you’re not really thirsty, but rather hungry. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-water-less-thirst-quenching-than-flavoured-drinks/400112/3 "2007-04-14T15:39:26Z")
I find that water quenches my thirst better than any other kind of drink. (And the water around here is very nice.) ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-water-less-thirst-quenching-than-flavoured-drinks/400112/4 "2007-04-14T16:26:48Z")
The sugars and salts may have something to do with it. I believe that’s the theory behind gatorade. I don’t know enough to say this with any real confidence. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-water-less-thirst-quenching-than-flavoured-drinks/400112/5 "2007-04-14T16:52:09Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Borgia] The sugars and salts may have something to do with it. I believe that’s the theory behind gatorade. I don’t know enough to say this with any real confidence. [/QUOTE] My confidence level is low as well, but that is the lore of Gatorade. I just know that anything sweet makes me thirstier and beer and soft drinks were never for quenching thirst. I personally dislike the taste of Gatorade enough to avoid it. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-water-less-thirst-quenching-than-flavoured-drinks/400112/6 "2007-04-14T17:35:22Z")
I’m with **Johnny L.A.** - if I’m really thirsty, water’s the only thing that really works. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-water-less-thirst-quenching-than-flavoured-drinks/400112/7 "2007-04-14T17:44:54Z")
I recall years ago reading, I think, _The Israeli Army Diet_ and one of the things that it encouraged was to lift your fluid intake. The book suggested that drinking sweetened drinks was better than drinking water because sweetened drinks were **less** thirst quenching and caused you to drink more. I think they recommended weak cordial drinks. ---
**Author:** ![Caridwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@Caridwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caridwen)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-water-less-thirst-quenching-than-flavoured-drinks/400112/8 "2007-04-14T17:56:04Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] My confidence level is low as well, but that is the lore of Gatorade. I just know that anything sweet makes me thirstier and beer and soft drinks were never for quenching thirst. I personally dislike the taste of Gatorade enough to avoid it. [/QUOTE] OT- Does anyone remember gatorade gum? If you were thirsty that used to quench your thirst. I wonder why they stopped making it? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-water-less-thirst-quenching-than-flavoured-drinks/400112/9 "2007-04-14T18:00:40Z")
[QUOTE=Caridwen] OT- Does anyone remember gatorade gum? If you were thirsty that used to quench your thirst. I wonder why they stopped making it? [/QUOTE] Did it give you cancer or herpes? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-water-less-thirst-quenching-than-flavoured-drinks/400112/10 "2007-04-14T19:14:36Z")
I haven’t noticed it being less thirst quenching, but drinking just water over the course of the work day seems to make me have to pee more often than drinking anything else. It could just be me, though. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-water-less-thirst-quenching-than-flavoured-drinks/400112/11 "2007-04-14T20:59:09Z")
A little of both for me, it depends. I’ve noticed that good _cold_ water can quench my thirsts most of the time, but I need Gatoraid while skiing. Sometimes I just want something flavored. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2007, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-water-less-thirst-quenching-than-flavoured-drinks/400112/12 "2007-04-15T00:44:33Z")
I’m in the “plain water quenches my thirst more” camp. I recently gave up carbonated drinks for Lent, and stuck with plain water. I found I was less thirsty, and didn’t snack as much, either. I still snacked (bad kitten!) just not quite as much…i didn’t get into that eat salty/drink sweet/eat salty cycle. ---
**Author:** ![gfloyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d2c977/32.png) [@gfloyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gfloyd)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2007, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-water-less-thirst-quenching-than-flavoured-drinks/400112/13 "2007-04-15T03:13:03Z")
I can’t drink more than half a glass of water at a time without feeling really sick. Doesn’t matter where it came from or what I’m doing. It makes me nauseas. Always has. My SO thinks it’s the strangest thing. I don’t find it thirst quenching at all. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2007, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-water-less-thirst-quenching-than-flavoured-drinks/400112/14 "2007-04-15T13:16:05Z")
[QUOTE=Caridwen] OT- Does anyone remember gatorade gum? If you were thirsty that used to quench your thirst. I wonder why they stopped making it? [/QUOTE] I loved Gator Gum! Though I never felt like it quenched thirst since all it really seemed to do was force your saliva glands to output saliva at a ridiculous rate. It definitely moistened your mouth and would give you something wet to swallow if you were parched, though. We used to chew it in the winter time and spit neon yellow saliva onto the snow. It was lurid and gross. We were young. ---
**Author:** ![Carm6773](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2bfe46/32.png) [@Carm6773](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carm6773)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2007, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-water-less-thirst-quenching-than-flavoured-drinks/400112/15 "2007-04-15T18:32:27Z")
[QUOTE=gfloyd] I can’t drink more than half a glass of water at a time without feeling really sick. Doesn’t matter where it came from or what I’m doing. It makes me nauseas. Always has. My SO thinks it’s the strangest thing. I don’t find it thirst quenching at all. [/QUOTE] It’s not strange; I feel the same way. The only way I can drink water is if it’s REALLY cold (think melted ice cubes). If I’m really really thirsty the only thing that does it for me is extremely cold milk (preferably chocolate). ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2007, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-water-less-thirst-quenching-than-flavoured-drinks/400112/16 "2007-04-15T19:10:38Z")
This question really belongs in GQ. I know the military has done studies on this, so you might want to do a lit search if you have access to a decent library. The one study I remember running across (this was years ago, so I don’t remember the author or source) looked at the effects of flavor vs. drink temperature on fluid ingestion in hot weather. Flavor didn’t have an effect, but temperature did–the soldiers drank more when the drink was cold, but it didn’t matter whether the drink was flavored. ---
**Author:** ![Gentle\_Robot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gentle\_Robot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gentle_Robot)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2007, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-water-less-thirst-quenching-than-flavoured-drinks/400112/17 "2007-04-15T19:22:59Z")
The fizzy drinks don’t do it for me as well as cold water. Too much syrup. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2007, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-water-less-thirst-quenching-than-flavoured-drinks/400112/18 "2007-04-15T20:41:22Z")
Put me in the Gatorade camp. When I’m working out in the yard, I will easily put away a gallon or two a day. I tried water for a week one time and it just didn’t cut it. Sodas and milk just make me nauseous. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2007, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-water-less-thirst-quenching-than-flavoured-drinks/400112/19 "2007-04-15T21:31:27Z")
[QUOTE=gfloyd] I can’t drink more than half a glass of water at a time without feeling really sick. Doesn’t matter where it came from or what I’m doing. It makes me nauseas. Always has. My SO thinks it’s the strangest thing. I don’t find it thirst quenching at all. [/QUOTE] It does the same for me. When I’m really thirsty I prefer slightly sweetened iced tea to ice water. When I drink water, no matter how cold (or how purified), it leaves a metallic taste in my mouth and makes me feel nauseated. Sweet sodas don’t do much to quench and diet drinks make me feel even thirstier. I have a mouth full of fillings. I wonder if that has anything to do with the metallic taste of water. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2007, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-water-less-thirst-quenching-than-flavoured-drinks/400112/20 "2007-04-15T21:44:13Z")
Oh, my word no. Water is MUCH more thirst quenching. Sodas and so forth I drink only for the flavor; when I’ve a \*\*need \*\* for fluids, it’s water I seek out, accepting alternatives only resentfully. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-water-less-thirst-quenching-than-flavoured-drinks/400112.md?page=2)