Beer, The Original Gatorade - Fat Man of the Mountains

Science has brought us many life-changing advancements — penicillin, the computer chip and space travel, to name a few.

Now comes science's greatest achievement of all: proving beer is a better rehydrator than water. A study by researchers at Granada University in Spain found beer was "slightly better" than water at replacing fluids in 25 test subjects. The future Nobel recipients think the sugars, salts and bubbles in beer help the body absorb water, as well as add needed recovery calories.

Sure, I've never heard of Granada University, and 25 test subjects (Spanish fraternity brothers, maybe?) sounds like an awfully small sample size. I'm not ready to fill my Nalgenes with Ipswich Ale, but I always knew there had to be a reason cold beer tastes so good after a long hike.
Professor Manuel Garzon, a member of Granada's medical faculty, made the finding after tests on 25 students over several months. Researchers believe that it is the sugars, salts, and bubbles in a beer that may help people absorb fluids more quickly.

The subjects in the study were asked to run on a treadmill at temperatures of 104F (40C) until they were close to exhaustion. Once they had reached the point of giving up, researchers measured their hydration levels, motor skills, and concentration ability.

Half of the subjects were given two half pints of Spanish lager to drink, and the other half were given just water.
Garzon said that the rehydration effect in those who were given beer was "slightly better" than those who were given only water. He also believes that the carbon dioxide in beer helps quench thirst more quickly, and that beer's carbohydrates replace calories lost during physical exertion.

The average person loses around 1 liter (33oz) of water for every hour of exercise in sweat. Rehydrating after a workout is crucial, as a lack of hydration is more likely to make one feel tired, fuzzyheaded, and suffer from headaches.
Based on the results of the study, researchers recommend moderate consumption of beer as a part of athletes' diets. "Moderate consumption" for men is 500ml per day, and for women is 250ml per day.

So that explains why Babe Ruth was so good. His method of training was nearly 100 years ahead of its time.

"I get back to the dugout and they ask me what it was I hit and I tell them I don't know except it looked good."
- Babe Ruth