Did that get your attention? It actually is a children's book by Taro
Gomi about the digestive system and the content of what makes up the
final destination.
But, seriously, my question is about the 8-10 glasses of water that
are recommended a day for healthy bowel movements. Isn't liquid just
liquid? Can it be 8-10 glasses of Diet Fresca, Coke or 8-10 Mint
Juleps? Isn't liquid just liquid, and why does it have to be water to
keep everything moving? Can one include the morning coffee and can of
soda at lunch as part of the 8-10 requirement?
Thanks, 
Yesmam

Thanks for bringing your poop question to us. :)  The book "Everybody
Poops" was one of the most popular in our homeschool's Resource Center
library.

Yes, coffee, soda and many other beverages may be substituted for pure
water. Alcohol, even in the guise of delightful mint juleps, is still
not recommended for hydration.

The most recent studies (April, 2003) and several earlier research
studies of hydration in normal, healthy adults, contradict many of the
previous recommendations by nutritional professionals about the types
of recommended fluids.


Hydration Myth: Caffeinated beverages make you dehydrated
---------------------------------------------------------

"Not true. 


"For years, newspaper and magazine articles have repeated the notion
that caffeine is dehydrating as if it's absolute fact," says
University of Nebraska researcher Ann Grandjean, EdD. But in a study
published in the October 2000 Journal of the American College of
Nutrition, Grandjean and her colleagues at the Center for Human
Nutrition showed that it's pure fantasy.

The researchers looked at how different combinations of water, coffee,
and caffeinated colas affected hydration levels in a group of 18 men
between the ages of 24 and 39. During one phase of the experiment, the
only fluid the volunteers consumed was water. During another, 75% of
their intake was caffeinated.

"Using almost every test ever devised to measure dehydration, we found
no difference at all," says Grandjean."

WebMD
Water, Water, Everywhere
How Much Water Do You Really Need to Drink?, by Peter Jaret
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/14/1668_51096


Ann Grandjean's research has been published in Volume 22, No. 2, 2003
edition of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. The
article abstract summarizes the objectives, methods and conclusions.

"Objective: To measure the effect on hydration of two regimens, one
that included drinking water as part of the dietary beverages and one
that did not.

Results: No differences (p > 0.05) were found between trials for body
weight or other indicators of hydration status measured.

Conclusions: Inclusion of plain drinking water compared to exclusion
of plain drinking water in the diet did not affect the markers of
hydration used in this study."

The full abstract, and links to the full article in either HTML or
.PDF formats (for a fee) are available at:

The Journal of the American College of Nutrition
The Effect on Hydration of Two Diets, One with 
and One withoutPlain Water 
By Ann C. Grandjean, EdD, FACN, CNS, 
   Kristin J. Reimers, RD, MS, 
   Mary C. Haven, MS
   Gary L. Curtis, PhD
http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/abstract/22/2/165


One of this article's authors, Kristin Reimers, RD, MS, is quoted by
HydrationInfo:

"Registered dietitian and fitness expert Kristin Reimers, associate
director of the Center for Human Nutrition, located at the University
of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, offers the following suggestions
for staying hydrated – no matter what the season:

You don't have to limit yourself to water – beverages you regularly
consume, like juice, coffee, tea and soft drinks, are all hydrating.
Yes, caffeinated beverages count, too."

Top 7 Hydration Tips
http://www.hydrationinfo.com/html/tips.htm


Coffee has received a bad rap, also. Comparisons the effects of coffee
vs. pure water on hydration show the difference to be quite small,
approximately two-thirds of an ounce.

Health Central
Coffee Lovers: Don't Worry About Dehydration, by Dean Edell, MD
http://www.healthcentral.com/drdean/deanfulltexttopics.cfm?ID=1298&storytype=MedicalReports


On the other hand, alcoholic beverages, though containing water, alter
the kidneys' ability to function normally, thus contributing to
overall dehydration. Among other effects, "Ethyl alcohol can induce
urine flow within 20 minutes. As a result of these fluid losses the
concentrations of electrolytes in the blood can changed and can be
dramatic, particularly in cases of extreme loss of water. Ethyl
alcohol appears to affect a hormone called antidiuretic hormone, which
induces the kidney to conserve fluids. This effectively concentrates
the urine. Ethyl alcohol decreases the ability of the body to
concentrate urine, thus promotes water loss rather than allowing the
water to be absorbed back into the body. As a result of this
electrolyte levels in the blood also rise due to less water being
taken back in."

Chemistry Case Studies
Alcohol and You, William Boggan, Ph. D.
http://chemcases.com/alcohol/

The section of the Alcohol and You article discussing kidney function
is located approximately two-thirds of the way down the page.

You may also find these previous Five Star Answers by colleagues
Juggler, Knowledge_Seeker, and BCGuide to be informative.

http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=233132
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=231712
http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=156773


Answer Strategy
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I used a number of combinations of the following Google search terms:

hydrate hydration "bowel movement" beverages alcohol "fluid loss"
"fluid balance" "scientific studies"


I hope you feel well informed about beverage hydration choices. If
anything I've said is unclear, or if you (oh poop!) discover a broken
link, please let me know, and I'll make it right.

---larre

larre-That was great work. It was really thorough and I'm glad that
you were familiar with, "Everbody Poops,' because I was afraid of
being offensive!
But as an addendum to you or anyone else in the Peanut Gallery, whay
does this belief that water is the only effective source of hydration
prevail? A physician's assistant insisted to me the other day that it
had to be water! No other liquid would do! She was emphatic! And why
are so many people in our society always seen with a water bottle,as
if they fear that they're going to transplanted out of the blue by
aliens into the Sahara Desert! Does a large segment of our population
not know about water fountains?
Thanks again larre for your well researched answer.
Yesmam

I have absolutely nothing to add to Larre's excellent answer except this:

http://members.fortunecity.com/wavjunky/swl-p/poop.wav

--Missy

I'm not sure it's true that everybody poops; some folks always seem to
be "full of it." :-D

I'm not sure it's true that everybody poops; some folks always seem to
be "full of it." :-D

GO TOU YOUR ROOM PINKFREUD and when you're ready to talk about this
very important topic, we'll reward you by giving you a very large
table spoon of Metamusil with a big glass of Dr.Pepper. Tsk, tsk!
Best,
Yesmam

Thanks, Yesmam, for the stars and the generous tip. :)

I'm going to speculate on the causes of such recommendations. Most
studies on hydration have been performed on groups of atheletes and
people with specific diseases and conditions. These studies have most
often found that water or special liquid electrolyte formulas are
superior for specific hydration needs. Such studies have been
published in mainstream medical journals, i.e. Nature, JAMA, NEJM.
They receive wide attention and were also the main studies referenced
during the education of most medical professionals working today.

The newer studies are well known by nutritionists and diaticians,
however, not every doctor's office or clinic employs such
professionals, and the communication between the two groups is rather
limited, in any case.

In addition to these logistic reasons, bottled water has become a
giant industry. I recently read that Americans toss (not recycle)
three billion water bottles every year. With such a major investment
and advertising push, studies about the equality of other beverages
aren't going to be forthcoming from those sources.

There may be other reasons as well. I would say it's likely that the
"equality" studies will become better known over time, but at present,
it's popular to bash coffee, caffeinated, and carbonated beverages on
the basis of additives, calories, and various other criteria.

---l