# Why is Milk harder to Drink than Water? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 26, 2000, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-milk-harder-to-drink-than-water/11242 "2000-04-26T19:34:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tchietao](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9dc877/32.png) [@tchietao](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tchietao)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-milk-harder-to-drink-than-water/11242/1 "2000-04-26T19:34:00Z")
A friend of mine, knowing that he could with relative ease drink an entire gallon (imperial I assume) of water in one hour, bet me $100.00 that he could perform the same feat with a gallon of milk. In short, he bet that he could drink a gallon of whole milk at any temperature he chose within an hour. Having seen some considerable digestive apparatuses try and fail at that very feat, I eagerly took the bet. However, in deference to his mild lactose-intolerance, I agreed to allow him to take the test with a gallon of whole Lactase. Why is milk hard to drink? Is it simply a matter of digesting the lactose? Am I giving up my $100.00 foolishly my giving him pre-digested milk? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-milk-harder-to-drink-than-water/11242/2 "2000-04-26T19:37:00Z")
How much fat is in the milk? Didn’t you say whole milk? I would assume that the dairy fat would start to slow you down and make you feel full. Even if it is Lactase, I think your stomach is going to hurt and you would be looking at spending a lot of time in the john afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![vandal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/858c86/32.png) [@vandal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vandal)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-milk-harder-to-drink-than-water/11242/3 "2000-04-26T20:11:00Z")
Milk has nutrients in it. Water doesn’t. When drinking water, the body really doesn’t have to do anything. But when drinking milk, it has to break down and process those nutrients, which requires more time to consume it. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-milk-harder-to-drink-than-water/11242/4 "2000-04-26T20:15:00Z")
It has nothing to do with the lactose, or milk sugar, but the fat content. Technically milk is not a liquid like water, it’s what’s called an **emulsion** , i.e. globules of a solid (fat) suspended in a liquid (water). So if your friend uses skim (fat-free) milk he could probably do it. * * * _I for one welcome our new insect overlords…_ - K. Brockman ---
**Author:** ![SoMoMom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@SoMoMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoMoMom)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2000, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-milk-harder-to-drink-than-water/11242/5 "2000-04-26T20:46:00Z")
Casein, the most common allergen in North America, is very hard to digest. [http://www.mit.edu:8001/afs/athena/user/k/e/kevles/www/nomilk.html](http://www.mit.edu:8001/afs/athena/user/k/e/kevles/www/nomilk.html)[http://www.nutramed.com/children/kidsmilk.htm](http://www.nutramed.com/children/kidsmilk.htm) Sometimes milk allergy is misdiagnosed as lactose intolerance. (Although I hope that it is getting better, you still hear about it). You could be putting your friend in some danger by taking this bet. I hope not. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2000, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-milk-harder-to-drink-than-water/11242/6 "2000-04-27T00:26:00Z")
A gallon of water is a bit too much on the body. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2000, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-milk-harder-to-drink-than-water/11242/7 "2000-04-27T02:47:00Z")
Milk is harder to drink than water? Since when? I regularly drink a quart of day of milk, sometimes 2. I’ve drunk 5 quarts in a day a few times, but not lately. Water? Never touch the stuff. It’s bad for you, you know. * * * Work is the curse of the drinking classes. (Oscar Wilde) ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2000, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-milk-harder-to-drink-than-water/11242/8 "2000-04-27T14:49:00Z")
2 oz of water, per minute, for an hour isn’t much of a challenge. Try 15 minutes. * * * “‘How do you know I’m mad’ said Alice. 'You must be, ’ said the Cat, ‘or you wouldn’t have come here.’” ---
**Author:** ![bj0rn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@bj0rn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bj0rn)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2000, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-milk-harder-to-drink-than-water/11242/9 "2000-04-27T16:00:00Z")
it is the amount of glucose in your blood that tells the brain when you are full, that is both why it takes you 20 min or so to become “full” and why drinking milk is harder than drinking water(because there is more sugar in milk). bj0rn - nutrition student * * * (You know, I find it helps to copy it to WordPad and then fix all the punctuation errors, etc., so they’re not so distracting. Then I usually light some incense, sacrifice a chicken to the spirit of Kate Turabian, and get really drunk. Then it actually starts to make sense.) - notthemama ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2000, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-milk-harder-to-drink-than-water/11242/10 "2000-04-28T04:36:00Z")
A gallon of water or milk in an _hour_ is hardly a feat for a grown man unless his stomach is stapled. You gave him $ 100. for this! Make him do it in 10 minutes…but stand back!! Mr. Creosote in action. > [@](#): > > Originally posted by tchietao: > \*\*A friend of mine, knowing that he could with relative ease drink an entire gallon (imperial I assume) of water in one hour, bet me $100.00 that he could perform the same feat with a gallon of milk. In short, he bet that he could drink a gallon of whole milk at any temperature he chose within an hour. > > Having seen some considerable digestive apparatuses try and fail at that very feat, I eagerly took the bet. However, in deference to his mild lactose-intolerance, I agreed to allow him to take the test with a gallon of whole Lactase. > > Why is milk hard to drink? Is it simply a matter of digesting the lactose? Am I giving up my $100.00 foolishly my giving him pre-digested milk?\*\* ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2000, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-milk-harder-to-drink-than-water/11242/11 "2000-04-28T08:46:00Z")
Bake me a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies and I’ll drink 2 gallons of milk in an hour. Actually, I don’t know about a full gallon, but **I really have** drank three quarts of milk in just 15 minutes (with fbccc [see above]). Gallon/hr is too easy. Peace. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2000, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-milk-harder-to-drink-than-water/11242/12 "2000-04-29T09:36:54Z")
if a gallon of whole milk has about 80 grams of fat, 200 g of carbohydrates and 80 g of protein (and about a gallon of water) my guess is that drinking a gallon of milk is equivalent to eating 80gr of fat, 200 of ch and 80 of protein and drinking a gallon of water. I am guessing but the gallon of water might make you uncomfortable. the rest of the stuff would be feasible, especially if you cut down on the fat by using low fat or skim milk ---
**Author:** ![sharkboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@sharkboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sharkboy)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2000, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-milk-harder-to-drink-than-water/11242/13 "2000-04-29T12:31:52Z")
I’m not sure about a gallon in the States but over here (Scotland) a gallon is eight pints. When I go to the pub and drink eight pints I’d have to spend about 35 mins in the whizz house. That would leave about 25 mins to drink the beer which really would be a tall order. I think I read somewhere that drinking too much water can poison you. Or am I just imagining it? ---
**Author:** ![funneefarmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@funneefarmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funneefarmer)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2000, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-milk-harder-to-drink-than-water/11242/14 "2000-04-29T12:55:57Z")
Sharkie… It wasn’t your imagination, you read it here. Causes a coma IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-milk-harder-to-drink-than-water/11242/15 "2000-04-30T05:42:45Z")
Yeah, it’s some godawful number like eight gallons in an hour for several hours in a row to go comatose from electrolyte imbalance from drinking way too damn much water. –Tim ---
**Author:** ![lswote](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lswote/32/5737_2.png) [@lswote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lswote)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-milk-harder-to-drink-than-water/11242/16 "2000-04-30T05:54:23Z")
On the same note I have always wondered why you can eat more eggs if they are scrambled than if they are hard boiled. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-milk-harder-to-drink-than-water/11242/17 "2000-04-30T12:16:49Z")
\>\> I think I read somewhere that drinking too much water can poison you yup… it’s called drowning 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Surgoshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Surgoshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surgoshan)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-milk-harder-to-drink-than-water/11242/18 "2000-04-30T17:10:57Z")
The problem with drinking too much water would probably be that it washes all the electrolytes out of your system. Not just electrolytes, but the sugars and stuff. Basically, it kills you by eliminating a few of the things you need to function. Just a WAG from a one-time bio student. ---
**Author:** ![Kent4mmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/34f0e0/32.png) [@Kent4mmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent4mmy)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-milk-harder-to-drink-than-water/11242/19 "2000-04-30T17:13:56Z")
Water can be absorbed directly through the lining of the stomach. It is one of only two liquids (alcohol being the other) that can do this. ---
**Author:** ![funneefarmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@funneefarmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funneefarmer)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-milk-harder-to-drink-than-water/11242/20 "2000-04-30T17:48:41Z")
[SDMB Too Much Water](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=10430) gives you the information you crave. Also like to say, Darn that the new search function is ten times faster than the old one.