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2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44
Lifehacker is clarifying whether it is worth excluding coffee from their diet for those who care about water balance.
Diuretic effect
A diuretic (diuretic) is a drug that speeds up the production of urine. It turns out that water or any drink in large quantities is a diuretic. However, the formation of more urine does not necessarily lead to dehydration.
Caffeine is a weak diuretic. Our body quickly develops resistance to this substance - within 4-5 days if consumed regularly. Interestingly, this fact has been known to people for almost a century.
Scientific research
In 1928, a study was conducted on the effects of caffeine on the human body Tolerance and cross-tolerance in the human subject to the diuretic effects of coffeine, theobromine and teophylline. It was attended by three volunteers who had not used caffeine for more than two months.
During the experiment, they received a small dose of this substance. The result showed that consumption of even 0.5 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight leads to a noticeable increase in urine production.
However, when caffeine is consumed for 4–5 days, the body becomes resistant to its diuretic effects. To re-achieve the same effect, you need to increase the dose of caffeine to 1 milligram per kilogram of body weight per day.
This suggests that regular consumption of caffeine does not lead to chronic dehydration: the body gets used to it.
The sample for the 1928 experiment was small, but a 2005 re-study with modern research methods only confirmed these results Fluid, electrolyte, and renal indices of hydration during 11 days of controlled coffeine consumption.
The study involved 59 healthy people who were monitored for 11 days. During the experiment, the researchers wanted to determine whether the consumption of caffeine leads to fluid loss or dehydration.
In the first six days of the experiment, each participant received the same dose of caffeine - 3 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day (about two to three cups of coffee). After that, within five days, the dose of caffeine was changed: it was either zero, or low (one cup), or medium (two cups).
Scientists monitored indicators of hydration such as the volume and color of urine. The experiment showed that almost none of the criteria depend on the regular consumption of caffeine.
Hydration index
In the science of hydration, any drink is judged by how much fluid is retained in the body, depending on the amount that a person has drunk.
To describe the retention properties of various drinks, a hydration index was created A randomized trial to assess the potential of different beverages to affect hydration status: development of a beverage hydration index. In it, the values for still water were taken as the standard against which the properties of different drinks were compared.
Popular caffeinated beverages such as coffee and tea have been found to retain liquid in the same way as water or sports drinks.
It is important to remember that all drinks contribute to the hydration of the body. Therefore, if a person decides to give up his favorite drinks because of the caffeine they contain, it will be difficult for him to immediately replace them with others. This can lead to a decrease in overall fluid intake.
The link between low hydration levels and poor health Hydration, morbidity, and mortality in vulnerable populations, especially in vulnerable populations, is very clear. Dehydration can lead to mood swings, irregularities in the brain and heart, and can be an indicator of poor prognosis in older patients. Hydration and outcome in older patients admitted to hospital (The HOOP prospective cohort study) admitted to the hospital.
Outcomes
Caffeine is a mild diuretic and does not cause dehydration. If you are trying to maintain an optimal fluid balance in your body, you should not worry about drinking caffeinated beverages. They also contribute to hydration.
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