Does mezcal help you hydrate?
Since mezcal is often around 50% ABV, that means it’s also around 50% water. Does that water help hydrate you? What about the water in beer, which is often around 95% of that pint. And coffee? That’s more than 99% water. So … what exactly is the deal with hydration? We’re under water in this episode of Agave Road Trip!
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Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. It’s hosted by Lou Bank and Chava Periban.
Notes
Dehydration
è If agave spirits are 50% alcohol, that means they’re 50% water. Is there any hydration happening there?
First, let's have a review of water in the body.
"Acid-Base, Fluids, and Electrolytes Made Ridiculously Simple"
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/037907389090177Z
"Excretion of alcohol in urine and diuresis in healthy men in relation to their age, the dose administered and the time after drinking"
In this paper from 1990, researchers fed increasing amounts of whiskey to volunteers and demonstrated an increased amount of urination one hour following consumption.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22406697/
"Alcohol pharmacokinetics and risk-taking behaviour following exercise-induced dehydration"
Participants completed either an exercise trial with loss of 2.5% of body weight followed by drinking alcohol, or at a period of rest followed by drink alcohol. They consumed vodka and orange juice until reaching a blood alcohol content of 0.05, although the participants often would reach higher levels. They then filled out questionnaires regarding subjective feelings of intoxication. In the dehydrated state, participants initially felt less drunk and stated that they were more willing to drive.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12828956/
"Effect of alcohol consumption on the gut"
Injury to the lining of the intestines causes problems of absorption of important nutrients such as sodium. As water follows sodium, the body has difficulty absorbing water and instead developes diarrhea. In addition, damage to the intestine causes increased permeability to larger molecules such as bacterial waste products. Now that these toxins are in the bloodstream, there is a concern of liver injury.
è What about a 15% wine? Or a 5% beer?
Discussion of the Hashers.
https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijsnem/31/5/article-p438.xml
"Got Beer? A Systematic Review of Beer and Exercise"
Summary of the world's literature on beer consumption and athletic performance. Athletes of various caliber (recreational versus competitive) were given water, Gatorade, and beer in various concentrations and then sent to perform athletic tasks such as cycling. As expected, the groups with higher beer concentrations such as 4% had increased urination and decreased performance when compared to Gatorade and low beer concentrations (less than 1%). One article notes that adding a small amount of sodium to beer improved fluid balance.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6521009/
"Beer or Ethanol Effects on the Body Composition Response to High-Intensity Interval Training. The BEER-HIIT Study"
2x2 prospective cohort in which volunteers were either assigned to high-intensity exercise training or no exercise. The participants in the training group were then sub-divided into daily drinkers versus no alcohol consumption. The exercise group lost body fat and gained lean muscle mass regardless of alcohol consumption.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23352231/
"The effects of dehydration, moderate alcohol consumption, and rehydration on cognitive functions"
similar study design, but with cognitive measurements. Intoxicated participants universally did poorly when compared to being sober, but dehydration exacerbated the problem.
è Or a coffee that’s something like 99% water? Soda?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOfquPE1cnU
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19774754/
Caffeine is a molecule similar in shape to adenosine. It works as a competitor to adenosine's receptors and leads to wakefulness and diuresis. People who drink coffee or tea may notice that they have to go to the bathroom more, but it was in the 1860s in Russia that a physician used caffeine explicitly to treat urinary retention. Evidence among habitual drinkers tends to be mixed as to the overall clinical impact from chronic caffeine use.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8465972/
" The Beverage Hydration Index: Influence of Electrolytes, Carbohydrate and Protein"
Simply adding electrolytes alone to water is not enough, manufacturers must also add carbohydrates or proteins improve the beverage hydration index.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26702122/
"A randomized trial to assess the potential of different beverages to affect hydration status"
72 men drank a variety of one-liter beverages and had their urine output measured: still water, sparkling water, Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Powerade, oral rehydration solution, orange juice, Lager beer, black coffee, hot tea, cold tea, whole milk, or skim milk. The researchers came up with something called the beverage hydration index and found that milk (whether it be whole or skim) and oral rehydration solution where the best at hydrating the research subjects. The worst performers were beer and coffee.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6195650/
"Rehydration with soft drink-like beverages exacerbates dehydration and worsens dehydration-associated renal injury"
Rats were repeatedly dehydrated and then given either water or fructose-glucose solution.
From the article: "In animals that are dehydrated, rehydration acutely with soft drinks worsens dehydration and exacerbates dehydration associated renal damage. These studies emphasize the danger of drinking soft drink-like beverages as an attempt to rehydrate following dehydration."
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11583104/
" Caffeine and exercise: metabolism, endurance and performance"
Older article not to be mentioned on the podcast. I am including this year to show a review article from 2001 the demonstrated beneficial effects of caffeine and exercise. Here is where we get products like "pre-workout" meant to be used before going to the gym.
è And what makes something like Electrolit extra hydrating?
Electrolit specifically uses sugar, as opposed to Powerade and Gatorade which have high fructose corn syrup. There is a push to have more natural electrolyte solutions which do not use artificial flavors and colors.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7962362/
"Effect of oral rehydration solution versus spring water intake during exercise in the heat on muscle cramp susceptibility of young men"
10 men engaged in downhill running and drink either spring water or an oral rehydration solution during and after exercise. During the oral rehydration solution days, the men had less susceptibility to muscle cramps.
Sports drinks (e.g., Gatorade and Powerade) are preferred by athletes, but protein-based powders that are mixed with milk also work.
Page 3 of https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/69227/WHO_FCH_CAH_06.1.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
World Health Organization's "Oral rehydration salts"
https://rehydrate.org/solutions/homemade.htm gives a simple recipe of salt, sugar, and water