PSA: Caffeinated drinks = dehydration = bullshit
So. I saw the doctor for dizziness and lightheadedness two months ago, and she told me to drink less caffeine because it was dehydrating.
Really? She was really trotting out that old fable? I was shocked.
You know that old idea that people need 8 glasses of water a day, and caffeinated drinks are dehydrating? Totally not true.
In 2000 there was a landmark study documenting that drinking caffeinated drinks or pure water had no significant difference in fluid balance. In other words, drinking cola didn't make people pee any more or less than drinking water.
Here's the link to the article:
The effect of caffeinated, non-caffeinated, caloric and non-caloric beverages on hydration
Here's the link to the WHO pdf document Water Requirements, Impinging Factors, and Recommended Intakes also by A. Grandjean.
The point is, is that all of it is just fluid. Fluid in = fluid out. Caffeine can have an effect, but only in people who don't drink it. So if you usually drink 5 cups of coffee a day, and one day you drink 10, there's not going to be an effect.
So don't feel guilty when you drink a bunch of coffee and skip the water--it's all good!
Really? She was really trotting out that old fable? I was shocked.
You know that old idea that people need 8 glasses of water a day, and caffeinated drinks are dehydrating? Totally not true.
In 2000 there was a landmark study documenting that drinking caffeinated drinks or pure water had no significant difference in fluid balance. In other words, drinking cola didn't make people pee any more or less than drinking water.
Here's the link to the article:
The effect of caffeinated, non-caffeinated, caloric and non-caloric beverages on hydration
Here's the link to the WHO pdf document Water Requirements, Impinging Factors, and Recommended Intakes also by A. Grandjean.
The point is, is that all of it is just fluid. Fluid in = fluid out. Caffeine can have an effect, but only in people who don't drink it. So if you usually drink 5 cups of coffee a day, and one day you drink 10, there's not going to be an effect.
So don't feel guilty when you drink a bunch of coffee and skip the water--it's all good!