Better to drink beer after exercise than water. Serious.

Sometimes science does some pretty cool things and demonstrating that beer helps people rehydrate better than water is one of them. This may be on par with proving the earth is not flat, overturning thousands of years of conventional wisdom! And we owe it all to the Granada University of Spain.

Researchers there conducted a series of tests putting subjects through rigorous workouts and then giving them either beer or water to recover. They found that the carbon dioxide in beer quenched thirst quicker than water, while the sugar and carbs replaced the body’s lost nutrients.

Before you go crazy with the 30 pack at a marathon, though, you should know that it doesn’t take very much beer to replenish the body’s needs. Subjects were given only two half-pints of lager and that was plenty.

Based on the results of the study, researchers recommend moderate

consumption of beer as a part of athletes’ diets. “Moderate

consumption” for men is 500 ml per day, and for women is 250 ml per day.

Not that this news will change some athletes’ behavior. For example Tour de France winner Floyd Landis thought that some of his positive doping results may have been caused by alcohol: Landis apparently would knock back a couple of beers and even some Jack Daniels before riding the next morning. Micky Mantle, legend has it, hit a number of his homeruns while either severely hungover or still drunk.

So for all you athletes out there, best be on the safe side and start hydrating now.

(Image via Flickr: Apolaine)