Do caffienated drinks really dehydrate? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

CoachAlan · 07-25-2004, 02:06 AM

I keep hearing that, when exercising or otherwise really thirsty, one should stay away from caffienated beverages because caffiene is a diuretic and will only cause further dehydration.

This can't be true, can it? I mean, there are people walking among us who don't even drink water. There are people who only drink soda and coffee. Yet those people manage to live. If drinking caffienated beverages caused dehydration, whole IT departments would be turning to dust before our eyes.

Imagine that my hypothetical twin brother and I are stuck on a desert island with nothing to drink but Mountain Dew. I contend that if he drinks nothing, and I drink the "dehydrating" Mountain Dew, he will die first. Then I will dine on his delicious corpse and wash it down with more of that glorious, green goodness.

What say you?

SecretMethod70 · 07-25-2004, 03:07 AM

Well of course, in your hypothetical situation, you're at least getting SOME liquid and he is getting NONE.

Perhaps dehydrate isn't the best word to describe the effects of caffeinated drinks. A better way to say it would be that they do not hydrate well AT ALL. Your body may be able to get liquid from the caffeinated beverage, but in the end it won't be much, and I'm not so sure that in the end you'll end up with any really positive result.

Drinking a caffeinated beverage while working out, while it may deliver SOME water to your body, delivers such a small amount overall that you do run the risk of dehydration.

It's quite simple really. Caffeine is a diuretic. You can sugarcoat it all you want and wish to believe that caffeinated drinks can still hydrate well, but it's simply not possible. Caffeinated drinks chemically MAKE your body digest less water and, as such, cannot hydrate you to any significant degree.

Case in point, I drink caffeine all the time and water only every now and then. I barely ever sweat. Why? Because I'm not very hydrated. I'd have a lot more energy if I drank awter instead of caffeinated drinks and I'd be a lot more hydrated as well. It's a simple fact of biology.

pocon1 · 07-25-2004, 06:02 AM

Actually, that is not true secretmethod. Caffeine is a very mild diuretic, and the amount of caffeine is minimal. Think about it, old people who drink a lot of coffee would pass out all of the time from dehydration. Plus, the more regularly you consume it, the less side effect it has on you.
Also, your body still has to metabolize and digest the water, diuretics just make you piss a little more.
So drink up, just watch the damn sugar that comes from soda.

SecretMethod70 · 07-25-2004, 06:44 AM

Actually, the very nature of a diuretic dictates that the body does not metabolize the water to nearly the same degree. Diuretics increase blood flow to the kidneys and prevent water from being reabsorbed.

Obviously, anything in moderation is not a bad thing. If you have a coke before you exercise, you're not going to faint, or even be dehydrated at all for that matter. But caffeinated drinks are not a substitute for water, and a diet of caffeinated drinks will have an effect on your body's hydration. As with anything, moderation is key.

pocon1 · 07-25-2004, 04:00 PM

Of the many problems with soda, caffeine is not one of them. Look how many athletes take caffeine before a competition to amp themselves up. If caffeine was such a diuretic, then the loss of water would far outweigh the gain in performance adge. The whole diuretic caffeine thing has been blown way out of proportion. Soda will rehydrate you, but the high level of sugar in it will slow absorption from the stomach. A small amount of sugar speeds up absorption. That is one reason why gatorade has a small amount of sugar.

CoachAlan · 07-26-2004, 01:41 AM

Since I posted this I've done a bit more research on Google. The general consensus seems to be that, while caffiene is a diuretic, it doesn't dehydrate nearly as bad as some had believed. And there is so much water in a typical soft drink (almost all of it), that the effect of the caffiene is small in comparison.

Caffienated drinks ceratinly don't rehydrate you as well as water or Gatorade, but they don't DEhydrate you either. At least, not according to many of the sources I checked. Here is a notable exception: http://www.freep.com/news/health/qdiet14.htm.

SecretMethod70 · 07-26-2004, 02:57 AM

*shrug* hey man, I learned about it all in high school biology almost 8 years ago. What do I know

07-25-2004, 02:06 AM	#1 (permalink)
CoachAlan Psycho Location: Las Vegas	Do caffienated drinks really dehydrate? I keep hearing that, when exercising or otherwise really thirsty, one should stay away from caffienated beverages because caffiene is a diuretic and will only cause further dehydration. This can't be true, can it? I mean, there are people walking among us who don't even drink water. There are people who only drink soda and coffee. Yet those people manage to live. If drinking caffienated beverages caused dehydration, whole IT departments would be turning to dust before our eyes. Imagine that my hypothetical twin brother and I are stuck on a desert island with nothing to drink but Mountain Dew. I contend that if he drinks nothing, and I drink the "dehydrating" Mountain Dew, he will die first. Then I will dine on his delicious corpse and wash it down with more of that glorious, green goodness. What say you? __________________ "If I cannot smoke cigars in heaven, I shall not go!" - Mark Twain

07-25-2004, 03:07 AM	#2 (permalink)
SecretMethod70 Human Administrator Location: Chicago	Well of course, in your hypothetical situation, you're at least getting SOME liquid and he is getting NONE. Perhaps dehydrate isn't the best word to describe the effects of caffeinated drinks. A better way to say it would be that they do not hydrate well AT ALL. Your body may be able to get liquid from the caffeinated beverage, but in the end it won't be much, and I'm not so sure that in the end you'll end up with any really positive result. Drinking a caffeinated beverage while working out, while it may deliver SOME water to your body, delivers such a small amount overall that you do run the risk of dehydration. It's quite simple really. Caffeine is a diuretic. You can sugarcoat it all you want and wish to believe that caffeinated drinks can still hydrate well, but it's simply not possible. Caffeinated drinks chemically MAKE your body digest less water and, as such, cannot hydrate you to any significant degree. Case in point, I drink caffeine all the time and water only every now and then. I barely ever sweat. Why? Because I'm not very hydrated. I'd have a lot more energy if I drank awter instead of caffeinated drinks and I'd be a lot more hydrated as well. It's a simple fact of biology. __________________ Le temps détruit tout "Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling

07-25-2004, 06:44 AM	#4 (permalink)
SecretMethod70 Human Administrator Location: Chicago	Actually, the very nature of a diuretic dictates that the body does not metabolize the water to nearly the same degree. Diuretics increase blood flow to the kidneys and prevent water from being reabsorbed. Obviously, anything in moderation is not a bad thing. If you have a coke before you exercise, you're not going to faint, or even be dehydrated at all for that matter. But caffeinated drinks are not a substitute for water, and a diet of caffeinated drinks will have an effect on your body's hydration. As with anything, moderation is key. __________________ Le temps détruit tout "Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling

07-26-2004, 01:41 AM	#6 (permalink)
CoachAlan Psycho Location: Las Vegas	Since I posted this I've done a bit more research on Google. The general consensus seems to be that, while caffiene is a diuretic, it doesn't dehydrate nearly as bad as some had believed. And there is so much water in a typical soft drink (almost all of it), that the effect of the caffiene is small in comparison. Caffienated drinks ceratinly don't rehydrate you as well as water or Gatorade, but they don't DEhydrate you either. At least, not according to many of the sources I checked. Here is a notable exception: http://www.freep.com/news/health/qdiet14.htm. __________________ "If I cannot smoke cigars in heaven, I shall not go!" - Mark Twain

07-26-2004, 02:57 AM	#7 (permalink)
SecretMethod70 Human Administrator Location: Chicago	shrug hey man, I learned about it all in high school biology almost 8 years ago. What do I know __________________ Le temps détruit tout "Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling

07-25-2004, 06:02 AM	#3 (permalink)
pocon1 Banned	Actually, that is not true secretmethod. Caffeine is a very mild diuretic, and the amount of caffeine is minimal. Think about it, old people who drink a lot of coffee would pass out all of the time from dehydration. Plus, the more regularly you consume it, the less side effect it has on you. Also, your body still has to metabolize and digest the water, diuretics just make you piss a little more. So drink up, just watch the damn sugar that comes from soda.

07-25-2004, 04:00 PM	#5 (permalink)
pocon1 Banned	Of the many problems with soda, caffeine is not one of them. Look how many athletes take caffeine before a competition to amp themselves up. If caffeine was such a diuretic, then the loss of water would far outweigh the gain in performance adge. The whole diuretic caffeine thing has been blown way out of proportion. Soda will rehydrate you, but the high level of sugar in it will slow absorption from the stomach. A small amount of sugar speeds up absorption. That is one reason why gatorade has a small amount of sugar.