Soda does NOT dehydrate you!

McKayMachina
McKayMachina Posts: 2,670 Member
edited October 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I've always heard that soda dehydrates you. I am drinking Pepsi and watching the Soft Drinks episode of Modern Marvels which states carbonated soft drinks are 99% water. This prompted me to do a search which turned up countless articles* that debunk the dehydration myth.

Caffeine IS a diuretic but not nearly enough to cancel out the effects of soda's hydrating molecule: H2O.

I'm not saying we should all drink soda instead of pure water. There are a slew of other things that make soda a poor choice. I love water anyway. I just like learning new things and thought I'd spread the news.

*Including this one, which concisely explains: http://controversialstand.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/hello-world/

P.S.: The article I linked to is NOT a scientific article. It states that carbonation is harmless which isn't entirely true, as it has been linked to a drop in bone density. There may be other serious flaws in this article, as well. Do a search for yourself and see what you find! I just really agree with the overall message of "soda does not dehydrate you but it doesn't hydrate as well as water."

Discuss! :drinker:
«1

Replies

  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,670 Member
    The same is true for green and white teas! The diuretic effects are too insignificant to negatively affect hydration. I would imagine this is true for any teas. Anyone know?
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    I love you.

    That is all. :)
  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,670 Member
    I love you.

    That is all. :)

    And I, you!

    All hail His noodly noodleness.
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
    I have to drink a ton due to certain medical issues and without diet soda I would be lost.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    RAmen to you. :)

    Wonder how many people actually know what we're talking about? :drinker:
  • juliapurpletoes
    juliapurpletoes Posts: 951 Member
    i'm on your side! it would take ALOT of caffeine to really dehydrate and regular sodas don't....

    folks here just get a little to compulsive.....balance is everything :)

    :drinker:
  • fatboypup
    fatboypup Posts: 1,873 Member
    nope it just makes you fat
  • musicgirl88
    musicgirl88 Posts: 504 Member
    I have to drink a ton due to certain medical issues and without diet soda I would be lost.

    Out of curiousity...what medical issues can soda cure? It's ok if you don't want it known to the public...but I'm just a curious person LOL
  • JennsLosing
    JennsLosing Posts: 1,026
    i dunno, but for me, i find that when im hot and sweaty, and drink a soda, like lets say at a theme park or something, i tend to be even more thirsty than i was before. Thats not the case when i drink water though. I am by no means a soda hater though :wink:
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    nope it just makes you fat

    Only if you don't account for the calories, then proceed to eat a calorie surplus.

    Same for bananas.
  • idiocracy
    idiocracy Posts: 275 Member
    Watch the movie "Idiocracy" (hey, that's my ID :))) ). 150 years from now, they use Gatorade for everything, from water fountains to watering crops. Now THAT's hydration :)))))
  • Jade_Butterfly
    Jade_Butterfly Posts: 2,963 Member
    nope it just makes you fat

    ^^^ this because they are full of sugar which metabolizes into fat~
  • ATT949
    ATT949 Posts: 1,245 Member
    I replied to a similar topic earlier today.

    Google "how large is the diuretic effect in caffeine" and there are quite a few (!!) hits.

    here's the link to the thread:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/354444-does-iced-tea-water?page=2
  • ritajean3
    ritajean3 Posts: 306 Member
    mmmmm I was incontinent after having my twins. I couldn't go 30 minuets without my bladder freaking out thinking it was over filled and emptying. I was told there is something in coke that irritates the bladder. I seriously had to cut everything that even slightly bothers the bladder citric juices was a big one but so was any drink that contained caffeine. Normal people don't have to worry about their bladder being angry and I certainly don't listen to it now I am not urinating myself in public so while the caffeine isn't good for your bladder I don't think it is bad enough to abstain from things you want without other reasoning behind it.

    Even if it is a large difference in amount in vs amount urinated and it isn't you wouldn't dehydrate if you were drinking other things as well. Soft drink (aka "pop") like most things is fine in moderation.

    But like most things I find people over look the easiest way to tell if you are getting dehydrated. Take a gander at the urine and if it is coloured and smells drink more water if it is clear then your fine. If we all lived by this than there would be way less "coffee is bad for you" "am I drinking too much water" ect posts. Even if caffeinated drinks were the work of the dehydration devil you could just drink more water and still enjoy them.
  • horizonflight
    horizonflight Posts: 75
    i dunno, but for me, i find that when im hot and sweaty, and drink a soda, like lets say at a theme park or something, i tend to be even more thirsty than i was before. Thats not the case when i drink water though. I am by no means a soda hater though :wink:

    That might be because when you drink soda it leaves your mouth/throat/tongue with a phlegm like feeling afterwards. With water you don't have any other ingredients sticking to your tongue/throat.
  • kmeekhof
    kmeekhof Posts: 456 Member
    Watch the movie "Idiocracy" (hey, that's my ID :))) ). 150 years from now, they use Gatorade for everything, from water fountains to watering crops. Now THAT's hydration :)))))


    I've never seen the movie..... and don't know what it's about, but I hope you are being sarcastic when you say "that's hydration." Drinking too much of any sports drink will throw your electrolyte balance out of wack and can cause many other problems. That being said.... if your sodium levels are too low you can drink all the water you want, but you are just going to pee it right out since there is no sodium to "bind" to and take it throughout your body.

    Also.... soda/pop may not dehydrate you, but I choose not to drink it because of all the other crap in it.
  • dckim
    dckim Posts: 311 Member
    Caffeine in tea, soda, coffee have mild diuretic property. But then so does alcohol, and plain water. :drinker:
  • ladygh
    ladygh Posts: 31
    It just makes you fat? Diet soda?
  • dckim
    dckim Posts: 311 Member
    It just makes you fat? Diet soda?

    Check out http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/333962-do-diet-sodas-make-you-fat?hl=diet+soda
  • idiocracy
    idiocracy Posts: 275 Member
    Watch the movie "Idiocracy" (hey, that's my ID :))) ). 150 years from now, they use Gatorade for everything, from water fountains to watering crops. Now THAT's hydration :)))))


    I've never seen the movie..... and don't know what it's about, but I hope you are being sarcastic when you say "that's hydration." Drinking too much of any sports drink will throw your electrolyte balance out of wack and can cause many other problems. That being said.... if your sodium levels are too low you can drink all the water you want, but you are just going to pee it right out since there is no sodium to "bind" to and take it throughout your body.

    Also.... soda/pop may not dehydrate you, but I choose not to drink it because of all the other crap in it.
    Yes, I was sarcastic. Great movie that is meant to be a sarcastic wake-up call for the future of human race.
  • MrsFarrow
    MrsFarrow Posts: 326 Member
    It just makes you fat? Diet soda?

    This always makes me chuckle a little. I may have been told wrong, but my nutritionist always says moderation. If you eat 300 pounds of salad, it's not that healthy anymore because you're over eating. Your body needs a certain amount of water. If you only drink diet soda for a year, I'm sure you'll have adverse effects of some kind.
  • BeautifulArtemis
    BeautifulArtemis Posts: 641 Member
    nope it just makes you fat

    ^^^ this because they are full of sugar which metabolizes into fat~

    ^^^^What they said :)
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    nope it just makes you fat

    ^^^ this because they are full of sugar which metabolizes into fat~

    ^^^^What they said :)

    Which has nothing to do with this thread! This thread is purely about hydration, nothing else.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I used to drink nothing BUT soda, so I "should" have been chronically dehydrated for many, many years.

    I do feel better now that I chug up to a gallon of water a day (with diluted Crystal Light in it), but I still drink soda daily.
  • LilMissFoodie
    LilMissFoodie Posts: 612 Member
    I have to drink a ton due to certain medical issues and without diet soda I would be lost.

    Out of curiousity...what medical issues can soda cure? It's ok if you don't want it known to the public...but I'm just a curious person LOL

    They recommend that people following a VLCD (very low calorie diet) continue to include diet caffeinated soft drinks as it has been shown to reduce the incidence of gallstones which is one of the most common severe side effects of VLCDs.

    Oh, on the original post, I agree - still hydrating.

    Edited to add: I just thought you might find this interesting since you asked haha it has nothing to do with the person who originally wrote about their own condition.
  • KurtisTMcCafferty
    KurtisTMcCafferty Posts: 1
    I take a statin that can trigger nighttime leg cramps. Over time I've learned that they happen when I'm dehydrated, even slightly. That primarily happens if I don't drink enough water during the day. But if I drink coffee in the morning and diet cola in the afternoon--BAM!! Guaranteed nighttime leg cramps. So maybe there's something else in diet cola (not all diet drinks) that's interacting with the statin. But after years of experience and trial-and-error in my diet and even different statins, it is clear to me that diet colas have a net dehydrating effect vs drinking the same quantity of water.
  • FreeToBreathe
    FreeToBreathe Posts: 11
    I've always heard that soda dehydrates you. I am drinking Pepsi and watching the Soft Drinks episode of Modern Marvels which states carbonated soft drinks are 99% water. This prompted me to do a search which turned up countless articles* that debunk the dehydration myth.

    Caffeine IS a diuretic but not nearly enough to cancel out the effects of soda's hydrating molecule: H2O.

    I'm not saying we should all drink soda instead of pure water. There are a slew of other things that make soda a poor choice. I love water anyway. I just like learning new things and thought I'd spread the news.

    *Including this one, which concisely explains: http://controversialstand.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/hello-world/

    P.S.: The article I linked to is NOT a scientific article. It states that carbonation is harmless which isn't entirely true, as it has been linked to a drop in bone density. There may be other serious flaws in this article, as well. Do a search for yourself and see what you find! I just really agree with the overall message of "soda does not dehydrate you but it doesn't hydrate as well as water."

    Discuss! :drinker:

    I'm sorry, but I cannot agree. lol While soda may not dehydrate you, it sure as h*ll does not hydrate you either! I used to live on mt dew...24/7 365 for years and I broke that addiction...live on water since June 2012 and I see a BIG difference. Soda never quenched my thirst. Then I found out there's fire retardant in it, plus who knows what other chemicals...not to mention the empty calories.

    I would NEVER promote anyone to drink soda/pop. Of course one here and there won't kill you, but soda-drinking is nothing to brag about. ;)
  • jackpotclown
    jackpotclown Posts: 3,275 Member
    One thing I think people are overlooking is that those drinks also have phosphoric acid (some I believe have other acids as well...citric???) in them....I don't know how much, but am sure that a large enough amount can't be that great for you either....especially your teeth, which I know is not what this topic is about....so just like anything, it's recommended in moderation \m/
  • 4homer
    4homer Posts: 457 Member
    Holy zombie thread Batman!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    The same is true for green and white teas! The diuretic effects are too insignificant to negatively affect hydration. I would imagine this is true for any teas. Anyone know?

    The same is true for most non-alcoholic drinks. Coffee, juice, Kool-Aid, milk, etc. Even most beer provides some hydration.

    The reason to drink water instead is for what you don't get with water, not because these other things dehydrate.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories