Looking for a tasty new summer drink—but not sure whether to stick with pop or a cocktail? Two new studies published in the American Journal of Physiology look at the effects of drinking soda while dehydrated, and chronic alcohol consumption (a little something to ponder over before ordering your next warm weather refreshment).
The first study on pop consumption suggests that downing soft drinks to rehydrate can actually make dehydration and the resulting risk of kidney injury worse (heat-related dehydration that occurs on a regular basis has been linked with a higher risk of chronic kidney damage in previous mice studies).
For the study, rats went through heat-induced dehydration (mild cases), and then were given access to either water that contained glucose and fructose (sugars that are added to soft drinks) or stevia-sweetened water (stevia is a substitute for sugar that has no calories). This went on for four weeks.
Rats that consumed the fructose-glucose water after enduring heat-induced dehydration ended up more dehydrated and had more severe kidney injury compared to rats that drank stevia-sweetened water.
Researchers concluded that this could be problematic, in particular for young adults who like to regularly drink soft drinks as a means to quench their thirst when dehydrated.
The second study suggests that chronically drinking alcohol can interfere with the pancreas’ ability to absorb vitamin C.
Keep in mind that it takes about a decade of daily alcohol abuse to develop alcohol-related pancreatic damage. Still, pancreas cells need a number of vitamins to function properly, which are grabbed from the blood stream.
The study’s findings support previous research that suggests chronic alcohol consumption prevents the pancreas from properly absorbing thiamin and biotin and—vitamins that are critical for a healthy pancreas. In essence, reducing the levels of essential micronutrients can interfere with cellular activities in the pancreas and lead to pancreatic diseases.
If you’re looking for a summertime favorite, don’t overdo it on the alcohol and limit your soda consumption while dehydrated.
Better yet—stick with water or all-natural fruit juice.
Sources for Today’s Article:
García-Arroyo, F.E., et al., “Rehydration with Soft Drink-like Beverages Exacerbates Dehydration and Worsens Dehydration-associated Renal Injury,” American Journal of Physiology—Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 2016; doi: 10.1152/ajpregu.00354.2015.
Subramanian, V. S., et al., “Uptake of ascorbic acid by pancreatic acinar cells is negatively impacted by chronic alcohol exposure,” American Journal of Physiology – Cell Physiology, 2016; doi: 10.1152/ajpcell.00042.2016.
