Drink

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the act of consuming a drink, see Drinking.

Tea is the world's second-most-consumed drink

A drink or beverage is a liquid intended for human consumption.

In addition to their basic function of satisfying thirst, drinks play important

roles in human culture. Common types of drinks include plain water, milk, juices,
coffee, tea, and soft drinks. In addition, alcoholic drinks such as wine, beer, and
liquor, which contain the drug ethanol, have been part of human culture and
development for 8,000 years.

Non-alcoholic drinks often signify drinks that would normally contain alcohol, such
as beer and wine, but are made with less than .5 percent alcohol by volume. The
category includes drinks that have undergone an alcohol removal process such as
non-alcoholic beers and de-alcoholized wines.
Biology
When the human body becomes dehydrated it experiences the sensation of thirst. This
craving of fluids results in an instinctive need to drink. Thirst is regulated by
the hypothalamus in response to subtle changes in the body's electrolyte levels,
and also as a result of changes in the volume of blood circulating. The complete
elimination of drinks, i.e. water, from the body will result in death faster than
the removal of any other substance.[1] Water and milk have been basic drinks
throughout history.[1] As water is essential for life, it has also been the carrier
of many diseases.[2]

As mankind evolved, new techniques were discovered to create drinks from the plants
that were native to their areas. The earliest archaeological evidence of wine
production yet found has been at sites in Georgia (c.?6000 BCE)[3][4][5] and Iran
(c.?5000 BCE).[6] Beer may have been known in Neolithic Europe as far back as 3000
BCE,[7] and was mainly brewed on a domestic scale][8] The invention of beer (and
bread) has been argued to be responsible for humanity's ability to develop
technology and build civilization.[9][10][11] Tea likely originated in Yunnan,
China during the Shang Dynasty (1500 BCE�1046 BCE) as a medicinal drink.[12]