Is it true that the use of coffee leads to dehydration?

Some doctors and nutritionists recommend drinking ordinary water after coffee to make up for fluid supply in the body. We found out if this council has a scientific justification.

It is believed that coffee has a diuretic effect, which means it leads to the elimination of fluid from the body. For this reason, experts offer to use a glass of water for each cup of coffee. You can meet such tips on sites and "RIA Novosti", And radio "Says Moscow", and on specialized resources about coffee, and c Blogs on Yandex.Zen.

First you should figure out what it is dehydrationwho scare coffee lovers. This is a lack of water in the body, which can occur when a person loses a lot of fluid and does not have time to make up for it. Among the causes are vomiting, diarrhea, intensive sweating, diuretics. With weak and moderate dehydration, a person experiences thirst, he has decreasing sweating and urinary production, dry skin becomes, a feeling of overwork appears. In order for such symptoms to occur against the backdrop of coffee use, it must have a diuretic effect.

Means that stimulate urine excretion are called diuretics. Their includes and caffeine, which is contained not only in coffee, but also in tea, mat, cocoa, energy and many soft drinks. 

First study How caffeine acts on the body was held in 1928. Then only three people took part in it. During the experiment, the amount of urine secreted was measured depending on whether the participants in coffee, tea, ordinary water or water with caffeine drink. It turned out that if you do not drink drinking drinks containing caffeine for a long time, and then start using them again, then the amount of urine increases by 50%. But this effect lasts only four to five days, after which addiction occurs.

After that, scientists did not make an attempt to prove or refute the data for almost 80 years. The following study It was held in 2005, and 59 people took part in it. In the first six days of the experiment, all subjects received the same amount of caffeine-about two or three cups of coffee per day. And then, for another five days, the consumption of caffeine was changed from zero to two cups of coffee. Different doses of caffeine did not affect blood and urine tests, scientists did not find signs of dehydration.

Another study It was held in 2014 on 50 men who regularly drink three to six cups of coffee per day. During an experiment that lasted three days, the subjects were divided into two groups. Participants of one of them drank 200 ml of coffee four times a day, and the participants of the other - water. Researchers controlled the nutrition and physical activity of men in both groups, measured the total amount of water in the body and conducted urine and blood tests. There were no significant differences, and scientists came to the conclusion that coffee consumed in moderate quantities has the same hydrating properties as water.

And finally, study 2016 showed that the diuretic influence of coffee, cola, hot tea and ice tea is the same as that of ordinary water.

In other words, coffee, due to the content of caffeine, can have a weak diuretic effect, but it does not cause dehydration. However, do not forget about other negative consequences that can cause excessive consumption of coffee. Therefore, it is advisable to drink no more than four, and with strong dependence - six cups of the drink per day.

Images: UNSPLash

Treatment

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on the topic:

1. Is it true that you can not pour into a kettle and drink hot water from a tap?
2. Is it true that it is dangerous to drink water after repeated boiling?
3. Is it true that it is dangerous to mix boiled and unprepared water?

If you find a spelling or grammatical error, please inform us of this, highlighting the text with an error and by pressing Ctrl+Enter.

Share with your friends

A message about the typo

Our editors will receive the following text: