Myth: Coffee dehydrates you.
Fact: Only if you overdo it. While caffeine is dehydrating, the water in coffee (and tea, for that matter) more than makes up for the effects, ultimately leaving you more hydrated than you were, pre-java. Consuming 500 or more milligrams of caffeine a day -- anywhere from around three to five cups of coffee -- could put you at risk for dehydration, Mayo Clinic nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky, RD.
One of the negatives I've heard over and over again about drinking coffee is the dehydrating effect it can have. And I have to say that when I first started drinking coffee a couple years ago, I definitely noticed that I felt dehydrated after drinking coffee, and got in the habit of drinking water soon afterwards because of it.
But it turns out that your body, being the adaptable miracle that is, can actually adjust to coffee when consumed regularly, and it will no longer have a diuretic effect. This is an interesting feat of the body, and explains how some people can survive while drinking coffee for much of their liquid needs.
In one study, 50 men who previous to the study had the habit of drinking three to six cups of coffee a day, went through two stages of trials. In the first part of the study, they were given coffee to drink (with controlled caffeine amounts). In the second part of the study they were given water. During both parts of the study, any other factors that could also influence their hydration levels were monitored. It turns out that markers of hydration were the same for both parts of the study. In other words, coffee was just as hydrating as water for them.
I found out to my surprise that it has been long known by scientists that the body has the ability to adapt to coffee, but that information has taken a lot longer to get out to the masses. It’s certainly helpful information to know!
There remains some controversy still over coffee drinking, with concerns over its somewhat addicting properties, and the fact that it can make a lot of people jittery or affect their sleep, yet there are also many studies showing many health benefits to it. Possible benefits include everything from keeping liver disease at bay, helping you live longer, and even helping prevent diabetes and cancer, to point out just a few.
Before my surgery I didn't like coffee and would only drink iced coffee. Now I drink 4-6 cups a day and when I work night shift even more.. I love my Keurig!! Sorry but I think the whole coffee thing is BS. Read the latest study above. Look at me I've lost over a hundred pounds drinking coffee. But we all have to decide what we want to put in our bodies.
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