Moderate Consumption of Coffee Doesn't Dehydrate Your Body

Drinking coffee in moderation doesn't dehydrate your body, a latest study shows.

In fact, research published in the journal 'PLOS ONE,' says that coffee adds to a person's daily fluid requirements.

"Despite a lack of scientific evidence, it is a common belief that coffee consumption can lead to dehydration and should be avoided, or reduced, in order to maintain a healthy fluid balance. Our research aimed to establish if regular coffee consumption, under normal living conditions, is detrimental to the drinker's hydration status," lead researcher Sophie Killer said in a news release.

For the study, the researchers conducted an experiment on 50 men in two phases. First they were told to drink four mugs (200ml) of either black coffee or water every day for three days. And later, the authors told those who had drunk coffee to switch to water and vice versa.

Between the two phases the researchers gave the participants a 10-day gap of what they called a "wash out" period.

After examining the body mass and total body water of the participants, the researchers found no link between the coffee consumption and dehydration in the body. Also, the authors did not find any association between 24-hour urine volume or urine concentration between the two groups.

"We found that consumption of a moderate intake of coffee, four cups per day, in regular coffee drinking males, caused no significant differences across a wide range of hydration indicators compared to the consumption of equal amounts of water," said Killer. "We conclude that advice provided in the public health domain, regarding coffee and dehydration, should be updated to reflect these findings."