People who live in higher elevations, such as in Boulder, CO., often worry about dehydration. They feel that due to the dry climate and huge amount of outdoor activities, they must drink water from the time they get up until they lay their head on the pillow at night to stay hydrated. It also makes many wonder if coffee is a dehydrating drink. Some health professionals tell their clients to drink two glasses of water for every cup of coffee they drink in order to avoid dehydration. However, recent research is countering this assumption.
Vanderbilt University Institute for Coffee Studies and Positively Coffee have been doing research on the dehydrating effects of coffee. Their studies show that moderate caffeine consumption does not dehydrate people, but it is considered an acceptable contributor to a humans daily fluid intake requirement. A 2007 study looked at fluid balance, hydration and exercise in the heat. They concluded that if you have no more than 400mg of caffeine, there is no dehydration effect with either exercise or at rest. A 1.5 ounce sot of espresso contains approximately 77 mg of caffeine so a single or even a double latte in the morning will not hurt you. Many people even say that consuming coffee before they exercise makes them more productive during their activity.
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