Water, Water Everywhere, But Only Pop to Drink?

[Rebecca_DiMwitter]

And by “pop” I mean soda, of course.

OK, after searching for responses to my question both here and abroad (google), I am still not sure of the factual answer to this question, altho opinions abound.

Does it make any difference if you get your daily water requirement from water, soda, diet soda, tea, coffee, milk, juice, etc., as long as you are not dehydrated or don’t have a special medical reason to bypass one or more of the above-listed beverages? If you are an average joe or josephine, not training for an athletic event, not diabetic or lactose intolerant, will any liquid, if taken in the right amounts , be as effective for your body as any other?

On their website, the University of Michigan Integrative Medicine team lists a number of “Facts About Water”, among which is this “fact”: Beverage requirements are met best by consuming plain water." No further explanation is given, but then the statement is such that it appears to assume there’s no further argument. Down the page a little, it is stated that alcohol and SOME caffeinated beverages can have a diuretic effect, so a person should avoid those.

But then I ran into a study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, vol. 19, No. 5, 591-600, dated 2000, entitled “The Effect of Caffeinated, Non-Caffeinated, Caloric & Non-Caloric Beverages on Nutrition”, which concluded that there was no significant difference in water-based beverages when combined and taken in lieu of straight water. With, of course, the usual caveat that further studies should be performed over longer periods of time, etc.

Can I remain just as healthy and hydrated drinking my usual daily quota of 32-ish ounces of diet Coke, along with a cup or two of coffee or tea, almost always decaf & herbal, & another couple 12-oz glasses of water mixed with, say, Crystal Light ? The main ingredient is water in all of these beverages, and isn’t it H2O that a body needs?

And if I can’t remain healthy with those drinks as my steady liquid diet, why not?

For some reason, the thread on the hyponatremia of the unfortuate radio-station contest winner made me wonder about all kinds of fluid intake. Has Cecil or one of the staff ever directly addressed this, and I am just not searching correctly?

Thanks in advance!

[Askance]

@Rebecca DiMwitter

Does it make any difference if you get your daily water requirement from water, soda, diet soda, tea, coffee, milk, juice, etc., as long as you are not dehydrated or don’t have a special medical reason to bypass one or more of the above-listed beverages?

It makes essentially no difference as far as hydration goes, no. The mild diuretic effect of the coffee, for instance, is not significant in a cup or wto a day.

On their website, the University of Michigan Integrative Medicine team lists a number of “Facts About Water”, among which is this “fact”: Beverage requirements are met best by consuming plain water." No further explanation is given, but then the statement is such that it appears to assume there’s no further argument. Down the page a little, it is stated that alcohol and SOME caffeinated beverages can have a diuretic effect, so a person should avoid those.

I imagine their problem with the non-water substitutes is they almost all have other negative effects if you drink them instead of water, nothing to do with how well they hydrate you.

Can I remain just as healthy and hydrated drinking my usual daily quota of 32-ish ounces of diet Coke, along with a cup or two of coffee or tea, almost always decaf & herbal, & another couple 12-oz glasses of water mixed with, say, Crystal Light ? The main ingredient is water in all of these beverages, and isn’t it H2O that a body needs?

And if I can’t remain healthy with those drinks as my steady liquid diet, why not?

32 fl oz of soft drink a day is, IMO, way too much and unhealthy. That’s huge. You’re getting large doses of caffeine, acid, and either sugar or artificial sweetener - all of those in moderation are OK but not in such large doses.

BTW why bother with decaf coffee when you dring that much Coke?

[RealityChuck]

You can get your water requirements from any liquids (and some solids – vegetables, fruit, meat, etc. all contain some water). Pure water is healthier simply because there’s nothing else in it (caffeine, sugar, sweeteners) that cause problems.

The need for “hydration” is overstated. If you’re not thirsty, you’re probably getting enough liquids.

[Chronos]

You can get your water requirements from any liquids

Except, of course, for strong alcoholic beverages. But other than that, just about any edible liquid is going to be almost all water.

[blondebear]

@RealityChuck

The need for “hydration” is overstated. If you’re not thirsty, ou’re probably getting enough liquids.

In the workaday world, that is true. In more active pursuits, though, it’s often best to drink before you are thirsty, as thirst indicates that you’ve already started to dehydrate.

[Bricker]

@Askance

32 fl oz of soft drink a day is, IMO, way too much and unhealthy. That’s huge. You’re getting large doses of caffeine, acid, and either sugar or artificial sweetener - all of those in moderation are OK but not in such large doses.

Cite? I buy the caffeine and sugar for problems, but what problems arise from the artificial sweetner in 32 fl oz of soft drinks per day?

[groman]

@Askance

32 fl oz of soft drink a day is, IMO, way too much and unhealthy. That’s huge. You’re getting large doses of caffeine, acid, and either sugar or artificial sweetener - all of those in moderation are OK but not in such large doses.

BTW why bother with decaf coffee when you dring that much Coke?

I think people are under some sort of an illusion field that soft drinks contain a significant amount of caffeine. 32 oz of diet coke is 120mg of caffeine. A mug of coffee can have as much as 300mg, and a lot of people drink more than a mug a day. The difference between 120mg a day vs. 720mg is quite significant, so decaf makes perfect sense.

Also, 120mg of caffeine a day is hardly a “large dose”. A gram is a large single dose, and a gram throughout day is pushing it as far as healthy daily intake goes, but I don’t know how you can call something that’s equivalent to one 8oz cup of coffee a “large dose”.

[Rebecca_DiMwitter]

@groman

I think people are under some sort of an illusion field that soft drinks contain a significant amount of caffeine. 32 oz of diet coke is 120mg of caffeine. A mug of coffee can have as much as 300mg, and a lot of people drink more than a mug a day. The difference between 120mg a day vs. 720mg is quite significant, so decaf makes perfect sense.

Also, 120mg of caffeine a day is hardly a “large dose”. A gram is a large single dose, and a gram throughout day is pushing it as far as healthy daily intake goes, but I don’t know how you can call something that’s equivalent to one 8oz cup of coffee a “large dose”.

Exactly. My own “experimentation” with caffeine has shown me that I can tolerate diet drinks with caffeine in them far more easily than caffeinated coffee, thus I often drink decaf coffee. Also I often mix 1/2 caffeine free diet coke with 1/2 regular diet coke in the same 32-oz fountain cup (as I have this morning). I like a bit of caffeine, but a cup of regular coffee (if taken at any time of the day except early morning) will usually jolt me more, and far longer, than I like. I have less and less tolerance for the effects of caffeine as I grow older, it appears. Yet what is an addict to do?

Thanks for your excellent responses. Is the jury still out on artificial sweetners then? What about Splenda? (Not to hijack my own thread of course, just seems a related question).

[chorpler]

@Rebecca DiMwitter

Thanks for your excellent responses. Is the jury still out on artificial sweetners then? What about Splenda? (Not to hijack my own thread of course, just seems a related question).

No, they’re pretty much proven safe unless you have some kind of personal allergy to them (or unless you have phenylketonuria, but you’d know about that because they test for it at birth and you wouldn’t live until adulthood without a special diet if you had it … and that’s only a concern with aspartame anyway). There’s a lot of scarelore out there about artificial sweeteners, but it’s almost entirely junk.

Frankly, I don’t see how somebody could describe 32 ounces of soda as “way too much.” That’s less than three cans of soda, for crying out loud, or one Big Gulp. Personally I suspect you could drink nothing BUT diet soda and be fine, but I don’t know of any studies about that kind of thing.

[Antigen]

Drinking lots of soda may contribute to a loss of bone density over the long run.

From MayoClinic.com:

The link between osteoporosis and caffeinated sodas isn’t clear, but caffeine may interfere with calcium absorption and its diuretic effect may increase mineral loss. In addition, the phosphoric acid in soda may contribute to bone loss by changing the acid balance in the blood. If you do drink caffeinated soda, be sure to get adequate calcium and vitamin D from other sources in your diet or from supplements.

There’s still all sorts of studies being done on it, and I’m having a hard time finding out exactly how much soda is supposed to be enough to affect bone density. Seems like it’s more the phosphoric acid that might be the problem, and not the caffeine, so that means it’s all the cola-type sodas. But if you’re drinking lots of soda, make sure you’re getting enough calcium and Vitamin D elsewhere, just to be safe.

[Epimetheus]

No cite other than what my dentist said to me, but he said the carbonic acid in soda may contribute to cavities. In my own experience, I drink lots of diet soda, and don’t eat many sweets. I also brush and floss 3 times a day and use mouthwash several times a day as well. I have several cavities that I had to have filled, and when I inquired as to where I could have gotten these cavities since I drink diet soda, he responded with the statement about the carbonic acid.

[Bookkeeper]

@Epimetheus

No cite other than what my dentist said to me, but he said the carbonic acid in soda may contribute to cavities. In my own experience, I drink lots of diet soda, and don’t eat many sweets. I also brush and floss 3 times a day and use mouthwash several times a day as well. I have several cavities that I had to have filled, and when I inquired as to where I could have gotten these cavities since I drink diet soda, he responded with the statement about the carbonic acid.

Just off the top of my head, would the carbonic acid in cola have a stronger effect than the acids already present in saliva?

[Captain_Amazing]

@Bookkeeper

Just off the top of my head, would the carbonic acid in cola have a stronger effect than the acids already present in saliva?

It should. Your saliva is slightly alkaline.

[MovingTarget]

The OP asks a very good question. One I have pondered for quite some time and it’s actually good to see it answered without me having to word my own questions in a thread. I work with someone who swears that you HAVE to have 8 8oz glasses of water a day. Plain water only. Tea or pop won’t work. I have sat beside her at lunch and seen her drink 1 8oz glass of tea, followed by 2 of her 8oz glasses of water for the day. I then asked her if she knew that she just negated the two glasses of water she just drank by mixing it with the tea, therby making it just like she had 3 8oz glasses of very weak tea. She informed me that no, she had in fact drank her 2 glasses of water and that I should stay out of her business. But she readily quips at me for drinking my coffee or tea througout the day. go figure…

[chorpler]

@Epimetheus

No cite other than what my dentist said to me, but he said the carbonic acid in soda may contribute to cavities. In my own experience, I drink lots of diet soda, and don’t eat many sweets. I also brush and floss 3 times a day and use mouthwash several times a day as well. I have several cavities that I had to have filled, and when I inquired as to where I could have gotten these cavities since I drink diet soda, he responded with the statement about the carbonic acid.

Doctor Spiller, an awesome dentist who maintains a web site filled with great information, specifically addresses this here (well, specifically here), and points out that all the acids in soda are immediately washed off your teeth by your saliva, and only the sugar matters.

[rowrrbazzle]

Here’s a post from a relevant thread. Note the partial debunking of caffeine’s diuretic effect.

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=4679467#post4679467

@Qadgop the Mercotan

Most people who consume caffienated beverages regularly manage to adapt to the caffiene’s diuretic effect. They can thereby retain more than enough fluid from the beverage to sustain life.

<snip>

Water is probably best. But unsweetened teas and sugar-free soft drinks really don’t have any significant liabilities beyond expense and perhaps staining the teeth for the average individual. And they are certainly better than trying to get your fluid intake from either sugary sodas or juices. Waaaaay too many calories in those latter products to consume as your baseline hydrating “beverage of choice”.

QtM, MD

[RickJay]

Funny story; many moons ago I was in the armed forces, and was out on my basic training exercise. It was August and sweltering, and of course they constantly preached to you about drinking water. Drink lots of water, always have water, drink it anytime you’re thirsty. Very good advice. The guidline was eight canteens of water a day, which isn’t that much when you’re working and sweating up a storm.

I’m out one day and one of the officers comes along. She had somehow got her number doubled and her unit of measurement wrong, so she reminds me that I should drink sixteen gallons of water a day.

That is, by the way, about 130 pounds of water.

I tell her, “Gosh, I don’t think so, ma’am. Sixteen gallons of water would be, like, two thirds of my own weight. That’s over a hundred pounds…”

“Private, you’re to drink sixteen gallons of water a day.”

“Uh, okay. Yes, ma’am.”

Why argue? No, I didn’t try to do it.

[Askance]

@chorpler

Personally I suspect you could drink nothing BUT diet soda and be fine, but I don’t know of any studies about that kind of thing.

From the Mayo Clinic:

Still empty calories

Just removing sugar from cookies and chocolates doesn’t make them low-calorie, low-fat foods. If you eat too many, you’ll still get more calories than you need, and you may not get enough nutritious foods. Unlike fruits, vegetables and whole grains, sugar-free soft drinks, candy and desserts often provide few — if any — beneficial nutrients.

Use artificial sweeteners sensibly. It’s OK to substitute a diet soda for a regular soda, for example, but diet soda shouldn’t be the only beverage you drink.

[chorpler]

@Askance

From the Mayo Clinic:

I suspect they’re just spewing out “common sense” and that they haven’t studied what actually happens if you only drink diet soda. I mean, it’s not like they have “empty calories,” like the previous paragraph is talking about. And presumably you should be getting your nutrients from the food you eat, not what you drink.

[RickJay]

@Askance

From the Mayo Clinic:

I guess in general they have a point, but most diet sodas have one or two calories a can. You practically burn them off walking to the vending machine. You could not possibly drink enough Diet Pepsi to have a significant effect on your calorie intake.