2024-08-30 23:31:32
Often things are not only good for what they are, but also for what they replace.
The universe is full of drinks of all kinds, flavours and colours. However (and as much as it pains us), the king of drinks is still water. Or at least the healthiest: low in calories, easily available at the nearest tap and capable of restoring all that liquid we lose while… living.
But humans do not live on water alone, of course.
So the question that everyone who wants to treat themselves (or replace the bottle of water with another liquid) asks themselves is: is there life beyond water?
At Harvard they think so. The Nutrition Source is a website of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health dedicated to providing quality information on food and nutrition. There we can find two alternatives that are as healthy as water and are actually quite surprising: coffee and tea.
Wait… coffee? Exactly: coffee. As we have discussed on other occasions, contemporary science has made it clear that the idea that coffee consumption (with caffeine) increases the risk of cardiovascular disease or cancer is a myth. In fact, according to Harvard researchers, “the consumption of 3 to 5 standard cups of coffee daily has been consistently associated with a reduced risk of several chronic diseases.”
In addition, coffee is a bomb of possibilities. Not only does it clear the mind, it also prevents sleep by blocking the action of adenosine. This is a neuromodulator that has sedative and inhibitory effects on the vascular and central nervous systems; it also “activates dopamine and acts on the anterior cingulate gyrus.” In other words, it improves executive memory, attention and concentration; it helps us plan and monitor tasks and, if that weren’t enough, it speeds up reaction times.
Also, if we drink it alone, it’s water with stuff in it.
Clearly, this is not an option for everyone. “Some individuals may not tolerate caffeine well due to symptoms of nervousness, anxiety, or insomnia,” Harvard reminds us. It is also not recommended for “those who have difficulty controlling their blood pressure.” But, in general terms, it is a surprisingly healthy option and, given the image we have of it, it may come as a surprise.
The other is tea. Tea also has a bad image. Justifiably so, in some cases. In 2016, the WHO declared that drinking tea could cause cancer. What happened was that it was referring to a very common practice in some cultures: drinking extremely hot tea.
The problem is the temperature. Tea (black, green, oolong or white) is wonderful, and herbal teas are another – but without caffeine.
What’s good about tea? There are a large number of observational studies linking drinking 2-3 cups of tea with a reduced risk of “premature death, heart disease, stroke or type 2 diabetes.” We already know that correlation does not imply causation, but (as our scientific understanding of it improves) it helps to give us an idea of what impact it has.
However, the best thing about these two drinks is not themselves. They are what they replace. Drinking lots of water (or tea or coffee) keeps us hydrated, makes us less thirsty and, therefore, makes us less inclined to consume other types of less healthy drinks (either due to their sugar or alcohol content).