It is highly likely that on hot summer days or after long, physically taxing workouts, you’ve heard someone claiming that a cold beer "hydrates you faster" than a shot of liquor or a glass of wine. But have you ever wondered how true the statement is? While beer is mostly water, it has around 90 percent to 95 percent water content, all alcohol acts as a diuretic in the human body. For those who may not know, a diuretic is any substance that helps the body get rid of extra salt and water content via urination. This unsobered guide breaks down the biological mechanisms of hydration, how beer compares to spirits and wine, whether low-alcohol or non-alcoholic beers offer real post-exercise recovery benefits, and a few smart drinking strategies.
One of the major impacts of alcohol is as a diuretic. The ethanol present in alcohol suppresses the pituitary gland in your brain from releasing vasopressin. Vasopressin is responsible for the absorption of water in the kidneys. Without sufficient vasopressin, the kidneys don’t reabsorb water and send the liquid straight to the bladder. This ends up making your body lose more liquid than you consume.
.jpg&w=1920&q=75)
To help you better understand the impact of ethanol on your body, keep in mind that for every gram of ethanol that you consume, your urine output increases by approximately 10 milliliters. So, a standard shot of 40 percent ABV liquor results in a net fluid loss. However, lighter beverages like beer behave differently due to their high water volume.
In order to understand the answer to this question, it is important to understand the relationship between the percentage of ABV and the dehydrating impact of these liquids.
Spirits with 40 percent ABV have a very high ethanol concentration in a small volume. This leads to rapid dehydration of the body.
Wine has around 12 percent to 14 percent ABV. This means that it has a moderate fluid volume, but it can still cause net fluid loss if water chasers are not consumed.
Standard Beer has a four percent to five percent ABV. With such a high water volume, the dehydrating effect of ethanol really slows down in your body. Furthermore, a number of hydration studies show that beers with less than four percent ABV generally do not cause significant net fluid loss when consumed in moderation. This is mainly because the water volume balances out the diuretic effect. So yes, standard beers are more hydrating than hard liquor or wine.
However, beers above five percent ABV, like Double IPAs, stouts, or Belgian Ales that have more than seven percent ABV, can and do cause notable net dehydration. The dehydration caused by these fluids is similar to that caused by wine or mixed spirits.
Also Read: What Are Skinny Cocktails? Why More Drinkers Are Asking For Lighter Drinks
.jpg&w=1920&q=75)
Affirming that standard beer is more hydrating than other liquor does not mean that it is a great choice for a post-workout drink. The myth mainly stems from the mistakenly inflated perception of the nutrient value of beer. Beer contains trace amounts of sodium, potassium, B vitamins, and carbohydrates. This leads people to believe that it acts like an isotonic sports drink. This could not be further from the truth.
The amount of ethanol in beer impairs muscle protein synthesis, slows glycogen replenishment, and compromises sleep quality. This offsets any electrolyte benefits that it could have had.
Having said that, however, 0.0 percent to 0.5 percent ABV beers and electrolyte-infused craft NA beers do act as genuine isotonic sports drinks. This is owing to the fact that they do not have the diuretic drawbacks of ethanol.
Staying hydrated while drinking beer is super important. Here are a few tips to help you stay hydrated:
1. Keep alternating every pint of beer with a 250ml glass of plain or sparkling water.
2. Choose lighter session lagers that are under 4.5 percent ABV when drinking in warm weather or at outdoor events.
3. Consume salty bar snacks. Sodium helps in retaining the fluid volume and mitigates the diuretic effect of ethanol.
4. If you want to prepare your body in advance, drink 500 ml of water or electrolyte mix prior to taking the very first sip of beer.
Also Read: Is Champagne Alcoholic? What The Bubbles, ABV And Labels Actually Mean
So, to summarize, yes, beer is more hydrating than other hard liquor or wine. This is mainly because of its high water content, which offsets some of the diuretic impact of the alcohol. However, it is still not the ideal hydrating substance. Standard beer is still a diuretic and cannot replace proper fluid intake. The best way to replenish your bodily fluids is to drink plain water or coconut water.
