Coffee is a diutetic?......

Still_Sossy
Still_Sossy Posts: 868 Member
edited September 24 in Food and Nutrition
Ok, if coffee is a diuretic do you have to drink even more water if you drink coffee to balance out what you will loose in the diuretic effect?

Replies

  • Still_Sossy
    Still_Sossy Posts: 868 Member
    Shoo I hit the t key instead of the r! I so need spell check! I meant Coffee is a diuretic.
  • LeeKetty1176
    LeeKetty1176 Posts: 881 Member
    I always thought that the amount of actual "fluid" in a coffee out weighs the effects of that ??? might be wrong.... normally am !
  • eillamarie
    eillamarie Posts: 862 Member
    Doesn't hurt to have another cup of water.
  • REman
    REman Posts: 48 Member
    You are wrong, LeeKetty. After drinking coffee, it is recommended that you drink more water as caffeine dehydrates you.
  • BuckeyeLuvvvva
    BuckeyeLuvvvva Posts: 48 Member
    Doesn't hurt to have another cup of water.

    Agreed. I know that caffeine is a diuretic so really anything with caffeine in it will have that effect. I don't know the specifics on decaf though?
  • DanL66712
    DanL66712 Posts: 135
    Nope! Coffee is not a diuretic to the point that drinking it dehydrates you. The diuretic effect of coffee is relatively small and therefore coffee should count towards your water intake for the day...it has some antioxidants too (not as many as tea, but still!)
  • JuneGem6471
    JuneGem6471 Posts: 1,001 Member
    Good question! I await the answer as I drink my 2nd cup for the day lol.
  • SMJohnson27
    SMJohnson27 Posts: 146 Member
    I was wondering the same thing so I was looking into that a few days ago, and this is what I found-

    "While concerns have been raised that caffeine has a diuretic effect, available evidence indicates that this effect may be transient, and there is no convincing evidence that caffeine leads to cumulative total body water deficits. Therefore, the panel concluded that when it comes to meeting daily hydration needs, caffeinated beverages can contribute as much as noncaffeinated options."
  • audjrey
    audjrey Posts: 360 Member
    Yes you do especially when you drink any beverage with high quantities such as coffee, black tea, or energy drinks, or when you take thermogenic pills such as Hydroxycut etc. The ratio is 2:1. In other words, for every 1 coffee you drink, you require a half cup of water to replenish what was excreted. However, if you wish to flush out the build up of toxins that accumulates because of caffeine, you would be best to consume 1/2 - 1 cup for each cup.

    Herbal teas, including green, are much lower in caffeine so you can get away with the 2:1 ratio.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    I always thought that the amount of actual "fluid" in a coffee out weighs the effects of that ??? might be wrong.... normally am !

    this is correct. Coffee has mild diuretic properties, which simply means it increases the amount of urine produced by the kidneys, it does NOT mean that you pee more than you drank.

    It means you can't record coffee the same as you could water, but you don't need to drink extra water because you drank coffee, and no, you won't become dehydrated drinking it.
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
    I've always thought that you would need to drink more water to counter the diuretic effects. That's what I believed up until 60 seconds ago, but then I saw the wikipedia entry says otherwise. Hmmm....

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effects_of_coffee#Laxative.2Fdiuretic
  • sarahanne40
    sarahanne40 Posts: 69 Member
    The diuretic effect of caffeine will start to impact your bladder after about 6-8 cups of normal tea / coffee - those drinks which have higher caffeine content will have a greater/quicker effect. If you're having this much coffe / tea then you might want to increase your water intake to ensure that you are not being de-hydrated by the diuretic effect of these drinks. I don't count tea / coffee in my water allowance either, to be sure (this opposes Danl.66712, but thats just what I do!).
  • audjrey
    audjrey Posts: 360 Member
    I know you are just the messenger of this stat, and so this is not aimed towards you but the stat and it is merely a question that only those who did the research can answer. The question is this: if caffeine does not have a significant effect on hydration, why do so many people suffer from thirst when they drink it? And I'm not talking only about people who laden their coffee with hoards of sugar and heavy creams (as these products dehydrate us too), but even those who drink black coffee. And it doesn't have to be copious amounts they drink but perhaps only 1-2 cups a day.

    Personally I find I am thirsty (not right away) after I drink coffee, and I drink ample water and non-caffeinated teas all day.
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    I usually have about 1/2 c extra water for every cup of caffienated beverage I have. No science to it, just makes me feel less drained.
  • glittersoul
    glittersoul Posts: 666 Member
    I don't think you really have to drink extra water because of it but my rule of thumb is just to go by how you feel. Your body will let you know how much water you need.
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    Just a thought (since I really don't know much on the stats themselves) but do you really have to be dehydrated to feel thirsty? TOM is supposedly quite dehydrating, or vigerous exercise, but often I find myself forcing down the water when I start rather than being actively thirsty. So maybe it can work the other way around - you feel thirsty because of the composition of the drink and not because of actual dehydration?
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    Yes you do especially when you drink any beverage with high quantities such as coffee, black tea, or energy drinks, or when you take thermogenic pills such as Hydroxycut etc. The ratio is 2:1. In other words, for every 1 coffee you drink, you require a half cup of water to replenish what was excreted. However, if you wish to flush out the build up of toxins that accumulates because of caffeine, you would be best to consume 1/2 - 1 cup for each cup.

    Herbal teas, including green, are much lower in caffeine so you can get away with the 2:1 ratio.

    where did you get this? I've researched the diuretic effects of caffeine quite a bit, and I've NEVER seen anything scientific that correlates this. If you have studies or research to back this up, please post it.

    reference:

    http://www.webmd.com/balance/caffeine-myths-and-facts?page=2
  • peteyTwang
    peteyTwang Posts: 250
    I say YES -- if you drink a lot of diuretics like COFFEE then you definitely need to drink more water.
    Check your pee colour. If it's looking yellow instead of clear drink more water.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    Just a thought (since I really don't know much on the stats themselves) but do you really have to be dehydrated to feel thirsty? TOM is supposedly quite dehydrating, or vigerous exercise, but often I find myself forcing down the water when I start rather than being actively thirsty. So maybe it can work the other way around - you feel thirsty because of the composition of the drink and not because of actual dehydration?

    no, in fact, by the time you are thirsty, you've been dehydrated for quite some time.
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