Generally, the topic of whether caffeine can cause dehydration or not has brought a lot of confusion. The main reason why these topics have confused people is because caffeine has been classified as a diuretic. This fact and the fact that many people are capable of attesting that they often frequent the bathroom whenever they drink their coffee. These and other reasons make caffeine to be considered as a dehydrating to a human’s body.
A diuretic is a substance that is capable of promoting the secretion of extra water by the kidneys or the formation of urine. Coffee is defined by Medline (2017) as a bitter substance that is naturally found in some plants, such as tea, coffee, and other nuts. Killer et al. (2014) suggest that caffeine is one of the causes of dehydration, and people should be careful while using it so as to maintain the balance of fluids in their bodies. According to a clinical trial carried out by (killer et al., 2014), drinking a moderate amount of coffee per day makes the body develop tolerance to the diuretic impact of caffeine. Moreover, a study by (Zhang et al., 2014) asserts that an intake of caffeine before exercising minimizes the negative diuretic impact of caffeine while taking caffeine and resting.
In this regard, caffeine is diuretic but not so efficient as there is no significant difference in the state of hydration among the people who consumed caffeine in moderation and those taking only water (killer et al. 2014). Therefore, according to (Davis et al. 2013; Gleason et al., 2013), people often visit the bathroom after the intake of caffeine because if an individual is already hydrated, the additional fluid intake causes an increase in the urine. In addition, if an individual is not a regular consumer of caffeine, then the intake of large amounts of it will have diuretic effects, which will lead to an increase in the amount of urine produced. Lastly, caffeine may cause some inconsistency in the urge to urinate to some people, causing them to urinate even if their bladders are not full.
In conclusion, there is no need to minimize the intake of caffeine in regard to the fluid balance of the body, as caffeine does not dehydrate the body. Thus, drinks with caffeine can be used to hydrate the body while keeping consumption levels in mind and considering taking a lot of water.
References
Davis, N. J., Vaughan, C. P., Johnson, T. M., Goode, P. S., Burgio, K. L., Redden, D. T., & Markland, A. D. (2013). Caffeine Intake and its Association with Urinary Incontinence in United States Men: Results from National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2005–2006 and 2007–2008. The Journal of Urology, 189(6), 2170-2174
Gleason, J. L., Richter, H. E., Redden, D. T., Goode, P. S., Burgio, K. L., & Markland, A. D. (2013). Caffeine and Urinary Incontinence in US Women. International urogynecology journal, 24(2), 295-302.
Killer, S., C., Blannin, A., K., & Jeukendrup, A., E. (2014). No evidence of dehydration with moderate daily coffee intake: A counterbalanced cross-over study in a free-living population. Plos One. 9(1), e84-154.
MedlinePlus. (2017). What is Caffeine? Retrieved from https://medlineplus.gov/caffeine.html
Zhang, Y., Coca, A., Casa, D. J., Antonio, J., Green, J. M., & Bishop, P. A. (2014). Caffeine and Diuresis during Rest and Exercise: A Meta-analysis. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport,10(2).
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