Thursday 31 January 2008

Can caffeinated beverages hydrate?


Caffeine has been in the news a lot lately. A recent study showed that people with type 2 diabetes may have more trouble controlling blood sugars when drinking caffeine. The study only had 10 participants- half took pills that provided caffeine equivalent to 4 cups of coffee and te other half took a placebo. The caffeine group's blood sugars went up 8% higher than the placebo group. This contradicts other studies that have shown that caffeine actually reduced type 2 diabetes risk.

Another study showed that too much caffeine during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage. I need to review that study...
But I just read some good new regarding caffeine:

We all know we need to get at least 8 cups fluids a day but we've been told that caffeine is not included in that because it's a diuretic. Not true (unless you never consume caffeine and get a large dose of it).

A recent study gave medical and graduate students (who normally consumed caffeine) either equal amounts of water plus caffeinated cola or water plus a ceffeinated citrus cola or water and a mix of caffeinated cola and coffee.

When they measured urinary output over 24 hours, they found that there was no difference between the 3 groups!

So include caffeinated beverages when trying to meet your fluid requirements.

Health Canada recommends not to exceed 400mg caffeine a day.
Click here for the caffeine content of popular drinks and foods.


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