Is Water Really the Best for Hydration?

I read a report in the December issue of Women’s Health Magazine about hydration. The report said that “Milk hydrates better than water or sports drinks”. The report states that the body will retain more fluid from milk than from water, because milk contains sodium and potassium to help with water retention.

I’m not sure what to think about this report. Sodium and potassium cause the body to retain water that would otherwise not be retained. If your body would not ordinarily hold on to all of the water consumed, doesn’t that mean that you just didn’t need that much water? I think it would be better to let the unneeded water go through you and then just drink some more water later on. After all, water retention leads to bloating which makes you look bigger. I’m going to stick with water for hydration purposes, and leave the milk (which, after all, has calories) for getting the protein and calcium that I need.