If you drink coffee, you might be wondering whether it will provide adequate hydration and whether you should drink water to compensate for your coffee consumption.
For many people, drinking coffee has become a tradition. It’s a part of life, profoundly embedded in people’s habits, and even important for others. We drink coffee to feel alert, comforted, and human. Coffee will make us work better and work out more intensely. It can keep us alert after a long night of sleep and keep mood swings at bay.
Is it true that coffee provides hydration?
Many people claim that coffee causes dehydration. This conviction is based on a small but influential study published in 1928. “Coffee dehydrates you” has become a sort of popular wisdom that percolates (pun intended) as reality in the decades since.
According to the 1928 report, people who drank coffee or caffeinated tea urinated up to 50% more than those who did not.
What people missed was that the authors have proposed that daily coffee consumption may result in a tolerance effect, which means that people who drink coffee often will not experience a major diuretic effect.
Later research repeatedly supported the hydration hypothesis:
- A 2002 study of studies concludes that frequent coffee drinkers have a “profound immunity” to diuresis and that there is “no evidence for the hypothesis that intake of caffeine-containing beverages as part of a normal lifestyle contributes to fluid loss.”
- According to a 2002 research study on caffeine and exercise efficiency, it was discovered that coffee and other caffeinated drinks do not induce electrolyte imbalances (electrolyte balance is a key factor in hydration).
- A 2014 meta-analysis reports that consuming caffeinated drinks before exercise poses no danger of dehydration.
- According to a 2014 study, caffeine has no effect on fluid balance or hydration status in healthy adults who drink coffee on a regular basis.
- According to one 2017 report, coffee with a higher caffeine content is more likely to disrupt electrolyte balance than coffee with a lower caffeine content.
Coffee does not cause dehydration. Despite popular belief, evidence does not support the argument that coffee dehydrates you.
What Exactly Is a Diuretic?
A diuretic is a drug or compound that induces the body to produce more urine than it would naturally under normal conditions. Some people use diuretics to treat conditions such as high blood pressure or edema (fluid buildup).
Diuretics can also be found naturally in certain foods and beverages, such as coffee and alcohol. Diuretic properties are often believed to exist in certain herbs and spices, such as black cumin and dandelion.
How Coffee Functions as a Diuretic
Coffee’s diuretic effect is due to its caffeine content. Caffeine travels from your digestive tract into your bloodstream, where it works its magic.
The Caffeine is broken down by your body into compounds that influence how your organs, including your brain, work.
Caffeine, in addition to its effects on the brain, allows the kidneys to produce more urine, which flushes more salt and water from your body. However, studies show that the effect is mild and short-lived. It’s also less potent in daily coffee drinkers.
Does Coffee Help You Drink More Water?
When you drink coffee, you consume a lot of water in addition to the caffeine and other compounds. This enhances hydration. In most cases, water consumption cancels out caffeine’s diuretic effect, particularly in habitual coffee drinkers.
According to one report, the higher the caffeine content in a cup of coffee, the less hydration it provides overall. According to other studies, the caffeine content of coffee has no effect on water balance in people who drink coffee every day.
Overall, research shows that your regular cup of coffee will potentially help you meet your fluid intake targets rather than hinder them. If you were concerned that your favorite morning beverage was dehydrating you, you can now completely enjoy it without fear. Although coffee helps with fluid intake goals, water is still the best option for proper hydration and should not be substituted by coffee.
Hydration: Coffee and Exercise
Coffee has long been studied for its ability to improve efficiency. The caffeine contained in coffee will help you get through a grueling workout. It can also get you through the morning grogginess.
A Cup of Joe May Be an Excellent Pre-Workout Drink
Coffee, due to its caffeine content, is an excellent pre-workout beverage. Consuming coffee can provide a mental and physical boost without the negative side effects associated with many pre-workout powders. (And, no, if you drink it before your workout, it will not change your hydration status.)
Coffee can increase your fat-burning ability as well as your energy and mental concentration. When these three effects of coffee are combined, they will give you a significant advantage during your workouts.
Just keep in mind that caffeine, like every other stimulant, can cause tolerance. If you use coffee as a pre-workout supplement, you will find that you need more and more to achieve the same results. Only keep your caffeine consumption under 400 mg per day, which is the recommended maximum for most healthy adults.
Individual Coffee Reactions
Many people enjoy their morning coffee and get nothing but positive results from a steaming cup of brew. Others, on the other hand, report negative side effects from coffee. Headaches, dizziness, nausea, jitteriness, and nervousness may all occur after drinking caffeinated coffee. This is particularly evident in those who do not consume caffeinated beverages on a regular basis.
What is an excessive amount of coffee?
According to the FDA, 400 milligrams of caffeine a day is not commonly associated with harmful or detrimental effects in healthy adults. An eight-ounce cup of coffee contains approximately 80 to 100 milligrams. Overdosing on coffee can result in insomnia, anxiety, an elevated heart rate, an upset stomach, nausea, headaches, acid reflux, and dehydration.
Because everyone metabolizes coffee differently, you can test your tolerance levels before determining your intake. Before consuming coffee or other caffeine products, consult your doctor if you are pregnant or have a medical condition.
After the calming effects of caffeine wear off, some people experience a post-coffee crash.
A final word from Kim…
You are the only person that can judge the way coffee impacts your body. Some people have a negative reaction to caffeine. For these people, it is safest to avoid caffeinated drinks. Fortunately, decaf coffee is readily available in grocery stores and supermarkets, allowing you to continue to enjoy the taste and tradition of coffee.
