Managing Water for Consumers

Per Capita Change in Calories from Beverages between 1965 and 2002

Historical shift in the caloric contribution of beverages

Beverages have very weak satiety properties. Dozens of studies of appetitive sensations (e.g., hunger, fullness, prospective consumption) show that whether one drinks water, milk, soft drinks or other sugared drinks, or alcohol, there is virtually no reduction in the amount of food consumed. In modern times, higher calorie beverages have progressively replaced the water that was the basic source of hydration for humans for 200’000 years, thereby contributing to the increase in total calorie intake.