3276: How Does Caffeine Affect Hydration and Do Tea and Coffee Increase the Risk of Dehydration on Caffeine & Hydration

Optimal Health Daily - Fitness and Nutrition

Optimal Living Daily LLC

Nutrition, Fitness, Health & Fitness

4.5 • 677 Ratings

🗓️ 30 January 2026

⏱️ 7 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3276: Dr. Neal Malik dispels the long-held myth that coffee and tea are dehydrating, explaining that these beverages actually contribute to daily fluid intake. Backed by research and meta-analyses, he highlights how regular, moderate consumption can support hydration and even offer protection against chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Quotes to ponder: "Coffee and tea intake actually count towards an individual’s overall fluid intake for the day and do not increase the risk of dehydration." "The body does still absorb and use the majority of the liquid consumed via coffee and tea." "The more often coffee and tea are consumed, the less likely someone will experience dehydration." Episode references: Meta-analysis on caffeine and hydration (Armstrong et al.): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3902679/ National Academy of Medicine Hydration Guidelines: https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10925/dietary-reference-intakes-water-potassium-sodium-chloride-and-sulfate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.7	It's another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily, and I'm Dr. Neal, your host of the show.
0:06.5	Welcome back to another Friday show where I answer your questions.
0:10.5	On all the other days, I read health and fitness blogs to you kind of like an audiobook,
0:14.6	with permission from the authors.
0:16.7	Now, I'll let you know how you can send in your own question at the end of the show,
0:20.7	plus get rewarded for sending in your question, but for now, let's jump right in and hear today's
0:26.4	question and start optimizing your life.
0:33.1	Today's question came via email. William writes,
0:36.6	I'm approaching my 65th birthday, and I work with seniors.
0:40.7	They are constantly requesting tea and coffee as their beverage of choice.
0:44.9	We do have issues with seniors experiencing dehydration, especially in the summer.
0:50.0	I know that tea and coffee affect hydration.
0:53.2	My question is, how great is caffeine's effect on hydration?
0:57.0	And is it so important that I should avoid the consumption of these drinks myself
1:02.0	and avoid serving them to our seniors?
1:05.0	Thank you for taking the time to send in your question, William.
1:08.0	Coffee and tea intake actually count towards someone's overall fluid intake for the day,
1:14.8	and coffee and tea don't seem to increase the risk of dehydration.
1:19.9	According to the National Academy of Medicine,
1:22.4	all sources of fluids, caffeinated or not, count toward our total fluid intake.
1:28.7	The National Academy of Medicine goes on to recommend that most healthy older adults
1:33.3	drink 13 cups of fluid per day for males and 9 cups of fluid per day for females,
	...

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