Coffee has been used to de-zombify millions of people every morning for thousands of years. This beloved elixir of mornings and pick-me-ups provides a much-needed boost to all its drinkers, but did you know that coffee can also hydrate you? Contrary to popular belief, moderate consumption of coffee can add to your daily fluid intake and keep you well-hydrated.

Let’s dive in!

One cup of coffee has a water content of ≈ 98.75%, with the remaining ≈1.25% being made up of dissolved solids and oils from the coffee beans containing caffeine, tannins (tannic acid), and other compounds. Decaf coffee has less than 0.1% caffeine, meaning it has a water content of ≈ 99%. Even one shot of espresso has a water content between ≈88% - 94% depending on the production method. This means that the majority of your daily cup of joe is H2O! This high water content helps replenish your body’s fluid levels, particularly if you opt for black coffee. For all “dessert-in-a-cup” coffee drinkers out there, milk, cream, and sugar added to a cup of coffee can decrease the overall hydrating effect.

While whole milk contains 87% water and cream is 59% water and 35% fat, sugar dehydrates the body. Glucose absorbs into the bloodstream quickly after consumption, causing an increased sugar concentration in your blood. This triggers a process called osmosis to move water/fluid from cells to other parts of your body to achieve balance or homeostasis. The cells in your body send water into your bloodstream to return your blood sugar levels to normal; this ultimately causes dehydration. While the process sounds really dramatic, it’s nothing a few sips of water can’t fix!

The School of Sport and Exercise Sciences at Loughborough University in the UK conducted medical and scientific literature research spanning all the way from January 1966 to March 2002 to find “evidence-based advice on caffeinated beverages in the context of optimum hydration.” The researchers found that in most textbooks where coffee and hydration were mentioned, “no reference is provided to support statements about the effects of caffeine on fluid balance.”

However, the majority of studies agreed about the diuretic properties of caffeine, which means it increases urine production in the consumer. Multiple studies show that consuming caffeinated products within the 400mg a day limit for adults doesn’t cause a spike in fluid loss. In fact, you’d need to consume around 500mg of caffeine a day (40 fluid ounces of coffee!) to cause a substantial effect on your body’s fluid retention. The amount of water in a cup of coffee more
than makes up for its mildly dehydrating effects.

While water is the #1 hydrator, coffee can wake you up and hydrate you all the same!

So, do you believe in the hydrating properties of coffee? Test it out with our sweet and citrusy ‘A Tout va Bien’ Costa Rican & French blend, or start your day with our energizing Colombian,Mexican & French Roast ‘Breakfast Blend!’

 


Tag us on our Instagram page @sheldrakecoffee or comment below on what blends keep you hydrated throughout your day!