I would disagree. It's not evil, but neither is it what you suggested. A certain amount of caffeine has been shown to have a beneficial effect on muscle stimulation during exercise - so much so that I know some Olympic level trainers suggesting that a cup of coffee before working out is not a bad thing. However, it's also a diuretic - which for most people is an issue without compensating intake of additional water.
The "diuretic" myth is probably one of the biggest fallacies about coffee. The logic goes like this: Diuretics cause dehydration. Caffeine is a diuretic. Coffee contains caffeine. Hence drinking coffee causes dehydration. The flaw in this logic is that coffee is NOT mostly caffeine, it is mostly water. The water provides hydration, while the small amount of caffeine has negligible or no effect. Even weak alcoholic beverages like beer don't cause dehydration as the amount of water is so great that the small amount of alcohol doesn't increase urination all that much (I know the old storing of renting beer, not buying it).
The poison is in the dose. The amount of water in the beer is irrelevant. Alcohol interferes with the action of ADH (antidiuretic hormone) on the kidney. As long as EtOH is in the system the kidneys pass more water than they normally would, changing the ionic balance in tissue and fluids.
In article <yISdnbz7tsUXY73VnZ2dneKdnZydnZ2d@plusnet>,
Clive George said:
"SMS" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Even weak alcoholic beverages like beer don't cause dehydration as the amount of water is so great that the small amount of alcohol doesn't increase urination all that much (I know the old storing of renting beer, not buying it).
Eh? What's a hangover then? What's the standard preemptive tactic?
Dehydration is the biggie - even beer will leave you dehydrated as normally you'll [censored] more than you drink.
This is not true.
The Encyclopaedia of Sports Medicine states that in a test of 0% alcohol fluid, 59% of the fluid was retained after six hours, while for 4% alcohol, 40% of the fluid was retained (4% alcohol content is typical for non-light beer). You're falling for the same myth of dehydration that many people believe is true for coffee too, though at least for alcoholic beverages it's true that a lower percentage of it is retained than for non-alcoholic beverages.
The problem with beer is that it doesn't contain enough electrolytes for proper rehydration, and the Encyclopaedia of Sports Medicine warns that even light beer has this problem.
I would disagree. It's not evil, but neither is it what you suggested. A certain amount of caffeine has been shown to have a beneficial effect on muscle stimulation during exercise - so much so that I know some Olympic level trainers suggesting that a cup of coffee before working out is not a bad thing. However, it's also a diuretic - which for most people is an issue without compensating intake of additional water.
The "diuretic" myth is probably one of the biggest fallacies about coffee. The logic goes like this: Diuretics cause dehydration. Caffeine is a diuretic. Coffee contains caffeine. Hence drinking coffee causes dehydration. The flaw in this logic is that coffee is NOT mostly caffeine, it is mostly water. The water provides hydration, while the small amount of caffeine has negligible or no effect. Even weak alcoholic beverages like beer don't cause dehydration as the amount of water is so great that the small amount of alcohol doesn't increase urination all that much (I know the old storing of renting beer, not buying it).
The poison is in the dose. The amount of water in the beer is irrelevant. Alcohol interferes with the action of ADH (antidiuretic hormone) on the kidney. As long as EtOH is in the system the kidneys pass more water than they normally would, changing the ionic balance in tissue and fluids.
Right, but some people apparently believe that the more beer you drink, the more dehydrated you become. This isn't true. You retain less of the fluids than for non-alcoholic beverages (40% versus 59%) for the reasons that you state. But it's not a net negative.
As long as EtOH is in the system the kidneys pass more water than they normally would, changing the ionic balance in tissue and fluids.
Right, but some people apparently believe that the more beer you drink, the more dehydrated you become. This isn't true. You retain less of the fluids than for non-alcoholic beverages (40% versus 59%) for the reasons that you state. But it's not a net negative.
It's true. I think Hunrobe observed it about himself here before, but occasionally I have also gone for days on end without taking in any liquids other than those with caffeine or alcohol in them. It may not be a healthful equilibrium befitting an Olympian, but neither did it result in me dehydrating myself into an uncomfortable state.
It's true. I think Hunrobe observed it about himself here before, but occasionally I have also gone for days on end without taking in any liquids other than those with caffeine or alcohol in them. It may not be a healthful equilibrium befitting an Olympian, but neither did it result in me dehydrating myself into an uncomfortable state.
What happens is people get confused about coffee versus caffeine, and beer (or wine) versus alcohol.
