As temperatures soar across the country, some may be put off drinking their usual cup of coffee over fears it could be a cause of dehydration. Setting the record straight, nutritionist Melissa Kuman (otherwise known as The Delicious Nutritionist), has addressed this common misconception.
Speaking to UK-based coffee retailer Coffee Friend while debunking several other myths associated with coffee, Melissa insists that coffee, drunk moderately, isn’t likely to dehydrate you so you can still indulge in your daily caffeine fix while soaking up the sunshine.
1. Drinking coffee will dehydrate you
“This is false for moderate coffee drinking, while caffeine has a mild diuretic effect increasing the need for the toilet, it is unlikely going to dehydrate you.”
2. Drinking coffee late at night causes insomnia
“Well, this does have some truth behind it as caffeine is a stimulant that makes you feel more alert and can delay the timing of your body clock.
“Although, insomnia may not be due 100% to the coffee. The caffeine in the coffee can impact your sleep, so it is always best to swap to decaf coffee after lunch.”
3. Drinking coffee can stunt your growth
“This isn’t true, as there is no strong scientific evidence to suggest this, plus we reach our full height by late teens anyway - an age where it is uncommon to drink coffee.”
4. Coffee is highly addictive
“This will depend on what you think highly addictive is. People who have coffee as a daily habit may find it hard to give coffee up (just like any habit!) as they feel like they depend on it to wake up and develop a tolerance to it over time, but I wouldn’t say it is highly addictive.”
5. Coffee can help to sober you up after drinking alcohol
“Sadly, this isn’t true. Coffee can’t remove the alcohol from your system or reverse the effects from it but it can help with helping you feel more awake.”
6. You can't drink coffee while pregnant
“You can still drink coffee but only up to 200 mg a day (1-2 cups of coffee). It is therefore best to drink decaf coffee while you’re expecting.”
7. Coffee is bad for your health
“No, as it is everything in moderation - consuming too much can increase anxiety levels and cause shaking so be aware about how coffee makes you feel. However, if you have sugar or syrup with your coffee every time then excess sugar isn’t good for your health.”
8. Drinking coffee can help you to lose weight
“In the short term, drinking coffee can increase your metabolic rate and therefore increase fat burning but over time people become tolerant to the impact of coffee and it no longer has this effect.
“Coffee impacts everyone differently and for some people it may reduce their appetite, aiding in weight loss.”
9. Decaf coffee doesn't contain any caffeine
“Yes, decaf does contain a little bit. The decaffeination process removes around 97% of the caffeine in the coffee beans so there is still a small amount of caffeine in decaf coffee - around 3mg per cup.”
10. Drinking coffee can stain your teeth
“Yes, a little as the enamel on your teeth has tiny pores which means the tannins in the coffee can enter these pores leaving deep stains. Plus, as the coffee is acidic it can wear down the enamel, leaving you more prone to staining. To help, you could get your teeth cleaned professionally every 6 months and drink plenty of water in between your coffee.”
