Does coffee dehydrate you?

I came across this reel recently that said coffee isn't dehydrating. I always thought it was. If I drink a lot of coffee in a day, I feel dehydrated and my lips become dry.

I researched and also came across a few other myths.

Myth 1 - Coffee is dehydrating

Studies¹ have shown that coffee is not dehydrating, but it even contributes to the daily fluid intake.

However, caffeine in coffee is known to be a diuretic, meaning it increases urine production. So you urinate a lot, making you dehydrated. We published a post on caffeine and guesstimating caffeine content in coffees. That should help you figure out how much caffeine is making you dehydrated.

One more thing that I came across, irrelevant to dehydration, is that coffee depletes is your Magnesium (Mg) stores and the rate of Mg absorption in your body. While it is true that coffee disrupts sleep, Mg which is an important mineral that helps your muscles and body relax is gone, which makes it harder for you to sleep. No doubt supplementing Mg helped me fall asleep better.

Myth 2 - Coffee is addictive

As much as I want this to be a myth, it is only half myth. Sure, dependency on it is developed. People, including me sometimes, can't function without the morning cup of coffee. You as well, friend?

But in a few studies, it is noted that caffeine withdrawal symptoms are as not bad as hard drugs.² This much news is enough for me to call this a myth. Haha.

Myth 3 - Black Coffee has more Caffeine

If you have read our How much coffee is too much coffee? coffee post, you might already know this. We talk about measuring the amount of caffeine in your coffee.

The amount of caffeine depends on the amount of coffee that was used to make the drink. For instance, a Cappuccino and an Americano have the same amount of caffeine even though Americano looks all black and strong.

However, it highly varies on the brew methods. Filter coffees have high caffeine content compared to machine made espresso based ones.

Myth 4 - Black Coffee is a fat cutter

I get amazed by how many people think coffee cuts fat. It just helps you stay satiated.

That's what I used to think.

It turned out not to be a complete myth 😅. Research says that caffeine boosts metabolism and increases fat burning³ . But by a very modest amount. So, using it as a tool to help you workout and stay on track does help actually.

That’s all I have. Learnt a lot researching for this one.

Have a caffeinated weekend. See you.

Keep on brewing!