Beer: Now scientifically better than water
By Tim Cigelske • Aug 12th, 2009 • Category: In the news
Flickr photo by Lone Primate
You always knew it. You just couldn’t prove it.
Well, now sciences backs you up: beer is better at post-workout rehydration than water.
According to a study in Granada — that bastion of scientific inquiry — rehydration was “slightly better” in beer drinkers than those who were given only water after a grueling treadmill run to exhaustion in 104-degree heat.
(Dang! Giving runners beer after that just seems like the scientifically ethical thing to do.)
Half the group was given water after the workouts, and the other half were given two pints of Spanish lager. The finding reportedly came after tests on 25 students over several months, with the following conclusions:
Researchers believe that it is the sugars, salts, and bubbles in a beer that may help people absorb fluids more quickly… [and] the carbon dioxide in beer helps quench thirst more quickly, and that beer’s carbohydrates replace calories lost during physical exertion.
Does that make beer a performance enhancing drug?
Tim Cigelske is the Beer Runner. --
Beer Run•ner (noun): 1. Someone equally devoted to fine beer appreciation and an active, healthy lifestyle 2. A blog by Tim Cigelske on Draftmag.com. Ex. "John downed four microbrews at the triathlon finish line. He's a total beer runner."
All posts by Tim Cigelske
Now to find a way to break this news to the wife.
Yep, British Army’s been doing it for years…
Beer replaces calories lost during physical exercise - isn’t that what people are trying to prevent after working out?
Yes! I always knew it!
The organic nature of beer makes it the case that it may interact with the body in uniquely positive ways that other garbage supplements and such may not.
That, at least, is what the author of this article is saying - worth a read:
http://www.beer-universe.com/beer-education-article/2009-06-09/Beer-An-Organic-Boon-or-Bust/
So alcohol is a diuretic. Being this, it’s obvious that the body is trying to absorb more water for the water that was lost in urination.
Plus the calories associated with beer basically negates you going to the gym. There’s approximately 230 calories in a pint of lager. So that means after slamming down two pints, you’d need to do ellipticals for roughly 30 minutes and cycling for another 20 minutes just to break even with the caloric intake of those 2 pints.
Beer is great, but if I downed 2 pints after a workout, I’d be so drunk… Wait a second. SWEET! But I don’t drink =O
I run so I can drink beer!
Wouldn’t any juice have the same effect as well?
Juice wouldn’t have the same effect. The reason beer (or any alcoholic beverage for that matter) has a high amount of calories is the alcohol itself. Alcohol (ethanol) has 7 kcal/mol, whereas carbs only have 4 kcal/mol. This makes sense, since there is more alcohol in beer than carbs usually. I recommend beer AND water postworkout, get everything you need and won’t kill your kidneys (you’ll want those someday) from the diuretic effects of alcohol.
Surely the beer has more negative effects than temporary dehydration after a long run warrants. I’m not discouraging anyone from drinking beer, I am a runner and I enjoy a few beers once a week, but saying that it’s good for your health isn’t accurate.
#
Greg on June 7th, 2009 at 11:53 am:
Beer replaces calories lost during physical exercise - isn’t that what people are trying to prevent after working out?
—-
Reply: No. Actually you want to replace calories post-workout. It’s the best time to do it. When you exercise your muscle depletes its glucose stores (carbohydrates). Having carbohydrates after a workout replenishes the glucose supply which purportedly aids in recovery time.
Not everyone works out to lose weight. If you want to lose weight calories are a major concern. If you’re building muscle, or already at a weight you enjoy and trying to stay that way, calories just need to be balanced.
#
Alex on June 10th, 2009 at 2:32 am:
So alcohol is a diuretic. Being this, it’s obvious that the body is trying to absorb more water for the water that was lost in urination.
Plus the calories associated with beer basically negates you going to the gym. There’s approximately 230 calories in a pint of lager. So that means after slamming down two pints, you’d need to do ellipticals for roughly 30 minutes and cycling for another 20 minutes just to break even with the caloric intake of those 2 pints.
—-
reply: Again calories aren’t important to everyone. And your time estimates are completely bogus. I burn 230 calories taking a dump. The more you weigh the more calories you’ll burn in 30 minutes of the same exercise as someone who weights less than you. Assuming you got a good workout at the gym 2 pints isn’t going to negate your workout at all. I burn nearly 500 calories depending on the type of workout (that matters as well) in 30 mins of aerobics.
If you think low calories = health than stop eating for a week and see how that works out for you.
The best forumla is probably closer to moderate-high calorie intake of healthy complex carbs, a mostly vegtable based diet, lean meats and fish occasionally for added protein, HIGH FIBER to slow down glucose spikes in the blood, and HIGH amounts of physical activity.
FYI: Most runners are high calorie eaters. I think most folks underestimate the amount of calories burned in a good long run.
Mojo: You are smart. It needed to be said.
This is an interesting concept. Although it seems preposterous it is completely logical. I work out regularly and I am trying to increase muscle mass, rather than burn calories, so I should drink beer and water after workouts. Maybe someone here can help me with this: Does it matter what kind of beer I drink (high-alcohol, wheat beer, etc.)? And should it be drank immediately post-workout or is there some kind of time schedule to follow? Thanks!
Goes hand in hand with what I wrote here:
http://backyardbrewer.blogspot.com/2009/10/beer-and-meat-diet.html
mark
It’s why the hash house harriers have been doing it since 1938.
Dave on August 26th, 2009 at 4:44 pm:
Wouldn’t any juice have the same effect as well?
Dave…seriously…shut the fuck up!
Sorry guys its not true. I’ve tried and water is the best option, I think he is probably pulling your leg.