Is Caffeine a Duiretic...it seems not

[Allein]

I read over and over again how Caffeine is a duiretic, being a coffee drinker and one that is fortunate enough not to suffer from any of the jittery side effects some seem to report I've done a fair bit of digging around on the subject.

From what I can tell the claim is made from studies that used subjects naive to caffeine and that the diuretic effect is virtually non existent in regular users, I have read a few papers but TBH I'm not a medical person so would not claim to fully comprehend some of the content.

But the overwhelming summary seems to be that the claim that drinking coffee can cause dehydration is in correct.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_caffeine_a_diuretic

Happy to hear others views

 

[Cane2theLeft]

This is from the mayo clinic -

Caffeine: Is it dehydrating or not?

I've been seeing ads that say cola and coffee drinks hydrate you as well as water does. Is this true?

Answer
from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.

It is true. Researchers used to believe that caffeinated drinks had a diuretic effect. This means that you would urinate more after drinking them, which could increase your risk of becoming dehydrated. Recent research shows that this is not true and that caffeine has a diuretic effect only if you consume large amounts of it — more than 500 to 600 milligrams (the equivalent of 5 to 7 cups of coffee) a day.

Still, caffeinated drinks can make you jittery, sleepless or anxious. Water is probably your best bet to stay hydrated. It's calorie-free, caffeine-free, inexpensive and readily available.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeinated-drinks/AN01661

I imagine tolerance, like with most drugs, would play a role as well and that figure she quoted is likely raised in those who consume large quantities daily. Although long-term consumption of large amounts can cause certain health problems, it can also help prevent diseases such as parkinson's!

Also, it tastes fucking great

 

[Allein]

I do try to limit my consumption but I still love a couple of cups of rocket fuel in th morning, espresso kinda strength stuff, I get none of the jitteryness others describe.

I good strong black coffee or 2 with no sugar is a great start to my day although I do avoid in the afternoons just to ensure it doesn't make my sleep any worse.

I guess, putting the diuretic effect to one side why would a stimulant that I've been using almost daily for the last 25 years still be giving me any real bang for my buck at the same if not lower doses, if it were any other substance I wouldn't expect it to. I've also found it very forging having stopped numerous times for numerous reasons and never suffered any discernible WDs.

So its coffees all round at BL

 

[Renz Envy]

Yes caffeine is a diuretic. Most caffeinated beverages will not dehydrate you as they have enough water to displace lost water from caffeine.

However I have read that over 200mg of caffeine in a drink will have a strong enough diuretic effect to cause temporary dehydration. But this is obviously not subject to complications such as tolerance.

 

[madog11]

I wish it was a proper Duiretic would save me having to put up with the yucky taste of lactulose every day!

 

[Alex000]

I would attest to the fact that it is a diuretic, indeed. Having had much experience with caffeine consumption, from modest to heavy, I feel that most certainly exerts a diuretic effect on me. A couple of cups of coffee with dinner, for example, it will really flush me out. You might say that I would urinate more just because of having taken in more fluids, but I swear caffeine most certainly promotes urination. In fact, it is one of the most noticeable effects of caffeine for me. Some people report that it is very anxiogenic or very stimulating (unpleasantly) or causes insomnia, but none of these seem to apply to me. I feel better if I have a few cups of coffee with dinner, and it does not seem to have any negative effect on me. I am rambling a bit now, but the point is that I feel caffeine most certainly is a significant diuretic.

 

[Allein]

For all those claiming it has a diuretic I refer you to the studies which surely shirley have more weight then a couple of anecdotal reports?

Clearly YMMV but as an over all it would seem that the old reports of this being s standard and generalised effect have been proven wrong on more than one test.

From what i have read it seems if you haven't had caffeine before ther can be quite a pronounced effect but as a regular user you are unlikely to suffer a diuretic effect at all.

Renz Envy can you quote the report, it does seem the information has been updated, so I'd be interested to know what study those numbers came from and when it was conducted.

 

[Renz Envy]

Renz Envy can you quote the report, it does seem the information has been updated, so I'd be interested to know what study those numbers came from and when it was conducted.

I'll look for it.

 

[ErgicMergic]

YES! I peed 1.3L of water in to a 1.5L water bottle when my brother was taking a shit and my parents were sleeping, so I couldn't use their restroom. I couldn't make it outside, so I grabbed the nearest water bottle and let loose, thankfully I had a big ass water bottle.

1.3L is 5.5 cups of water, and that's after the stimulant properties of caffeine used up the water in my body. So, even if I drank 8 cups of water, like the average American, one piss could have dehydrated me.

Luckily, I drink a gallon (4 Liters) of water a day, and drink extra when I'm on stimulants, especially peripheral ones like caffeine and ephedrine.

 

[Allein]

^^^

I'm really not sure what this information, interesting as it is is adding to the discussion, If I drank a whole load of water I could probably piss that much.

My original point is that much recent evidence and research is suggesting that for regular users at least there is no significant diuretic effect from drinking coffee in fact even with a slight diuretic effect it would not dehydrate you.

From what i have read older studies looked at people who had not used caffeine before and in this case the diuretic effect is much more pronounced and so th studies were flawed.

I often see others posting that caffeine is a strong diuretic and that it can cause dehydration but this does not seem to be borne out by more recent study, with all due respect the amount of piss you managed to get into a bottle isn't really controlled and validated data

 

[Renz Envy]

As it has been stated before, the water lost is replaced by caffeinated beverages.

It is a diuretic, but not significant enough of one to cause dehydration.

 

[ErgicMergic]

As it has been stated before, the water lost is replaced by caffeinated beverages.

It is a diuretic, but not significant enough of one to cause dehydration.

I've read that one gains tolerance to the diuretic effects. I use caffeine intermittently, not constantly. Maybe it's not a diuretic in terms of volume of water expelled, but more so in frequency of urination?

 

[Steps]

Everyone reacts differently in small ways, you can be resistant to some of the effects, sensitive to others

Someone could have to pee very often on 100mg caffeine, someone else could be unaffected

And, with regular users, tolerance to the diuretic effects typically builds rapidly

 

[weekday warrior]

A first time opiate user might experience severe constipation whereas someone with a long habit won't sufer from it, i think tolerance to the drug and tolerance to the side effects of that drug kinda go hand in hand.

To answer your question about why your tolerance to caffiene isnt higher im guessing its because caffeine works by blocking the neurotransmitters (or receptors can't remember right now) that induce sleep and doesnt work like most drugs do by causing an imbalance of chemicals that your brain learns to compensate for

 

[Steps]

A first time opiate user might experience severe constipation whereas someone with a long habit won't sufer from it, i think tolerance to the drug and tolerance to the side effects of that drug kinda go hand in hand.

To answer your question about why your tolerance to caffiene isnt higher im guessing its because caffeine works by blocking the neurotransmitters (or receptors can't remember right now) that induce sleep and doesnt work like most drugs do by causing an imbalance of chemicals that your brain learns to compensate for

You're pretty off lol

Its an Adenosine Receptor Antagonist

 

[weekday warrior]

You're pretty off lol

Its an Adenosine Receptor Antagonist

antagonist /an·tag·o·nist/ (an-tag´o-nist)
1. a substance that tends to nullify the action of another, as a drug that binds to a cell receptor without eliciting a biological response, blocking binding of substances that could elicit such responses.antagonis´tic

i said it works by blocking other reactions and is not a reaction itself, this is the definition of an antagonist, so you just agreed with me

 

[Brian242]

antagonist /an·tag·o·nist/ (an-tag´o-nist)
1. a substance that tends to nullify the action of another, as a drug that binds to a cell receptor without eliciting a biological response, blocking binding of substances that could elicit such responses.antagonis´tic

i said it works by blocking other reactions and is not a reaction itself, this is the definition of an antagonist, so you just agreed with me

Dude, you just pwned that dude lol

 

[nAON]

Yes, yes he did. 2 months late. Old thread, closing.