SOUTH SEFTON DIABETES GROUP

Drinks & Alcohol

• Water is essential to health
• Fruit juice is a good source of vitamin C, and tea contains anti- oxidant polyphenols
• Too much coffee may contribute to heart disease
• The benefits of moderate alcohol consumption are controversial
• Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day, cut back on coffee and follow current safe intake guidelines for alcohol

For many people good nutrition means good food but what we drink is just as important. We are capable of making water in our bodies, but not enough to match the losses incurred in urine, sweat and respiration. A daily intake of water is therefore essential to maintain the body in water balance.

Water accounts for around 60% of normal body weight - it is inside and around our body cells and part of the blood, so maintaining an adequate intake is vital. A generous water intake will also help fibre in the bowel swell so it can exert its beneficial effects.

Water, however, comes in many guises and some of these (coffee, alcohol) can actually cause the body to lose water (they are diuretics). Starting with the purest form:

Water

It doesn't matter if it's from the tap or a bottle, water is good for you. Depending on the weather, we lose around 1.5 - 2.5 litres a day in urine, faeces, sweat and expired air. Most adults drink 1-2 litres a day and another litre or so comes from food. Of course, if you sweat a lot during sports you'll need extra water. Two litres may sound a lot (it's around 6 cans of fluid) but over a whole day it's easily done.

Soft drinks

Fizzy, carbonated drinks are sweetened with either sugar (bad for your teeth) or an artificial sweetener like aspartame. Non-diet varieties are 'empty calories', the sugar providing energy but no other nutrients. Fruit drinks are a better option, either diluted squash drinks or fruit juice. Fruit juice has all the same nutrients as whole fruit (except the fibre) and has had a big impact on the British diet by increasing vitamin C intakes. (The vitamin C in fruit juice can also help the body absorb iron if eaten with a meal.) Many sorts of fruit juice are available but opt for unsweetened varieties. With fruit squashes, try and choose the 'high juice' varieties.

Hot drinks

Tea. There are two main types of tea: green tea is popular in the Far East, and black tea is the commonest tea drunk in the UK. Both come from the same plant; they are just processed differently.

There is a lot of interest in tea at the moment because it contains polyphenols. These are potent anti-oxidants and may thus protect the body from the damage which contributes to cancer and heart disease. There is concern, however, that adding milk to tea reduces its anti-oxidant capacity.

Coffee. Heavy coffee drinking has been controversially associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease and it is recommended that you don't drink more than 6 cups a day at most.

Coffee is a diuretic so can cause the body to lose water, and certain sorts of coffee can have powerful cholesterol raising effects. Surprised? Coffee's not known for being fatty! But it comes from a bean and all beans contain small amounts of fat. The fats in coffee beans, however, are very effective at raising blood cholesterol but are only present in Scandinavian style boiled coffee and percolated or cafetiere coffee. Instant and filter coffees do not have the same effect as the fats have been removed.

Milk drinks. Hot chocolate, Ovaltine and Horlicks-type drinks can be a good source of vitamins as many are fortified. Use semi-skimmed milk to make them though.

Alcohol

A lot of confusion surrounds the potential health benefits and dangers of alcohol consumption and these are discussed in the CPG Healthnet Alcohol fact sheets. It is important to remember that alcohol has social consequences as well as influencing health and the best thing to do is stick to current guidelines and don't start or increase your drinking just for the proposed health benefits - they are still controversial and there are other ways of reducing CHD which are just as effective. Too much alcohol can increase risk of stroke, coronary heart disease and liver disease.

Current guidelines are: no more than 21 units a week for women and 28 units a week for men. (A unit is half a pint of beer or cider, a glass of wine or a measure of spirits.)