I am a strong coffee user who begins early in the morning and continues until late in the afternoon. But after too many pots of coffee, I find myself up all night needing the restroom!
If you’re like me, you’ve probably pondered if switching to decaf tea and coffee will make a difference. I know there are numerous health advantages to coffee (as well as some negatives), but do they apply to decaf coffee?
More importantly, would decaf coffee cause me to pee as much as normal coffee?
I decided to conduct some study on the topic of coffee being a diuretic and find out for sure. Is Decaf coffee a diuretic? Continue reading to find out the answers.
What Is a Decaf Coffee?
Decaffeinated coffee has had 97% or more of the caffeine removed from the coffee beans. Decaf coffee has roughly 2 mg of caffeine, compared to 95 mg in normal coffee.
There are other techniques for decaffeination, but the Swiss water method is the most prevalent. To extract caffeine from coffee beans, this process use either water and carbon dioxide or a charcoal filter. After that, the coffee beans are dried and roasted. Here’s a video of several decaffeination methods.
The caffeine content of decaffeinated coffee has been reduced by 97% or more. Decaf coffee has roughly 2 mg of caffeine, compared to 95 mg in normal coffee.
Other methods of decaffeination exist, but the Swiss water method is the most often used. Caffeine is extracted from coffee beans using either water and carbon dioxide or a charcoal filter. The coffee beans are then dried and roasted. Here’s a movie showing several decaffeination procedures.
What Does Diuretic Mean?
Diuretics aid in the elimination of salt (sodium) and water. When you consume salt, you have less fluid circulating through your veins and arteries. Because your blood would be deemed “thicker,” diuretics are used to thin it and reduce blood pressure.
Diuretics are used to treat or prevent the following symptoms:
- Heart attack
- Failure of the liver
- Edema of the tissues (swelling)
- Kidney stones and other kidney problems
Side effects of diuretics include the following:
- I’m feeling dizzy.
- Experiencing headaches
- Being dehydrated
- Tense muscles
- Joint complications (gout)
- Impotence
Why Decaf Coffee is Linked to Diuretics?
There is much dispute over whether caffeine is a diuretic, although numerous investigations have demonstrated that it is a moderate diuretic. That is, it aids in increasing the volume of urine produced. This might result in dehydration and electrolyte loss in the body. Adenosine has a complicated function in salt and water balance, which includes many parts of the nephron (the filtration system in your kidneys). Caffeine inhibits adenosine receptors and lowers the vasoconstriction of renal afferent arterioles generated by adenosine.
Is decaffeinated coffee a diuretic?
Decaf coffee, on the other hand, is not a diuretic, as demonstrated by this study, because the caffeine should have been eliminated completely from the beans.
Because this is a frequently “searched for” subject, here is the authoritative answer to “is decaffeinated coffee a diuretic”?
No, it does not. Decaf coffee does not contain diuretics.
However, maybe we should first define the term diuretic. It is defined as follows:
“…resulting in greater urine passing”…
…which comes from the Old French term diuretique and the Greek word diourtikos, but you’re not here for a pub quiz…
Caffeine-containing coffee is considered a diuretic, which means that it stimulates the kidney’s production of urine.
Caffeine, on the other hand, is not a powerful diuretic; rather, it is a moderate diuretic.
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Caffeinated coffee does have an effect on the body, but it takes more than one cup. Only around 2 cups of caffeinated coffee is likely to have a diuretic impact.
According to research, it takes up to 360 mg of caffeine to operate as a diuretic.
To put that in context, an 8-ounce cup of coffee has 95 to 200 mg of caffeine, depending on the brew.
It should be noted, however, that decaffeinated coffee has no diuretic effects and is an excellent method to stay hydrated during the day.
As a result, Decaf Coffee is not a diuretic.
It causes roughly the same amount of urination as water.
However, even when it comes to coffee with caffeine, the conventional view of coffee as a diuretic is shifting, and in moderation, coffee can actually be considered as part of your daily hydration.
Indeed, the newest US dietary guidelines upped the caffeine limit in adults to 400 mg per day, and it’s now recognized as a great source of potassium and magnesium, as well as one of the top sources of daily antioxidant consumption – for both decaf and regular coffee.
According to a recent study conducted by experts from the University of Birmingham’s School of Sport and Exercise Sciences:
All research participants were categorized as moderate coffee drinkers who consumed three to six cups per day (300 to 600mg caffeine per day).
As part of the trial, each guy consumed four, 200ml cups of black coffee per day for three days (providing 4mg/kg of caffeine per day) or three cups of water per day for four days on two different occasions.
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The participants drank a prescribed amount of water delivered in bottles throughout each trial session, the amount of which was set for each of them based on their three-day dietary diary.
They drank four additional cups of water each day throughout the water-only phase.
The two trial periods were separated by a 10-day wash-out period during which the participant resumed their usual coffee intake, food, and exercise.
The researchers then assessed total body water, body mass, and blood, urine indicators of hydration (such as salt, potassium, and creatinine levels), and blood for caffeine levels before and after each experiment to ensure compliance.
The study’s findings were as follows:
The researchers discovered no significant differences in total body water before and after each session, as well as no differences in total body weight between the two trials.
There were no variations in blood indicators, urinary markers of hydration, or 24-hour urine volume between the two studies.
Urinary sodium levels were found to be higher during the coffee days, most likely due to caffeine increasing sodium excretion by the kidneys; however, there was no difference in other measures of hydration or urine output, and there were no significant differences in body mass between the two trials, though there was a small daily drop in body mass in both trials.
However, this was a tiny trial, and further research on the effects of caffeine on hydration and salt levels in the body is needed. However, it casts doubt on the long-held belief that caffeine is a diuretic.
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It is increasingly being seen as part of the consumer’s beverage mix. When compared to the various “energy” beverages and soft drinks on the market with excessive quantities of sugar and artificial additives, regular coffee is unquestionably the lesser of two evils.
Having said that, decaffeinated coffee should be considered because it has no diuretic effects and is a great method to stay hydrated during the day.
Final thoughts
Decaf coffee does have the potential to act as a diuretic. The level of caffeine is generally low enough that it’s not going to cause dehydration, but if you’re sensitive to caffeine, you may want to avoid decaf coffee altogether. If you are looking for a way to stay hydrated, try drinking water or herbal tea instead of coffee.
When coffee binds to adenosine receptors, it prevents the neurotransmitter from binding and clears the way for other neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine to do their work. This is why coffee has such a potent wake-promoting effect. Caffeine also causes an increase in urine output (diuresis), which explains why people often have to urinate after drinking caffeine-containing beverages. Although decaf coffee does not contain significant levels of caffeine, it still contains enough to produce a diuretic effect. Therefore, if you are trying to avoid this side effect, it is best to avoid decaf coffee as well. Do you have any questions about the effects of caffeine on the body? Contact us through Angelo’s Burgers today and one of our expert nutritionists will be happy to answer them!
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