Question about caffeine....

I have a question... if caffeine is a such a diaretic that it is "common knowledge" that for every 8 ounces that we drink, we also need to drink 8 ounces of non-caffeine fluid just to 'make up' for the loss of fluid (and some people would recommend drinking twice the amount in non-caffeinated fluid), why didn't I die from dehydration from the 12 pack of Diet Coke per day that I used to use as my only form of liquid?

I KNOW I KNOW....I asked my surgeon the same question. With me it was Coke Classic. I LIVED on the stuff. He said....even tho caffeine is a diuretic...its not critical...plus....before WLS we ate a lot of foods with water...any veggie or fruit is mostly water.....now we can't eat that much...so we don't get the water from FOOD like we used to. Makes sense to me...I have regular coffee and tea at times with no ill effects. But I mostly stick to decaf....so I can SLEEP.... Hugs Charlie

Funny you mentioned getting water from food. Most people don't even consider that. I read an article a few weeks ago about "Reasons you can't live on bread alone." The basis for the article was describing how life would be if you only had bread. No water, no other form of food. Basically, to get your daily amount of water, you would have to eat about 5 loaves of bread a day-- which would be something like 12,000 calories. Before I read that article, I suppose I "knew" but I had never thought much about the fact that we do ge****er from food.

Marah...I hadn't thought of it either till I asked my Doc....It was like a light went off....duh. And yes...there is water in bread...funny huh.... Hugs Charlie

There are a lot of things that are 'common knowledge' that just ain't so. (*grin*) A few months back the NIH released a study that basically said that tea, coffe, sodas, and even ALCOHOL could be counted towards one's daily fluid intake, that caffeine is NOT the diuetic that it was previously thought to be, that the more often you drink caffeine, the less it tends to affect you (unless you're unusually sensitive to it, and if you are, you'll KNOW!), and that---wait for it!---MOST PEOPLE get all the water they need if they just drink when they're thirsty. This last part doesn't apply to the elderly, whose thirst mechanism tends to be less effecient. It MAY not apply to people with the sort of restriction the RNY and the Band give, since chug-a-lugging isn't an option any more, but no matter how slowly you do take in fluids, your thirst mechanism should be a fairly reliable guide.

I bet that is an unpopular study among the diet police. I agree. I definitely believe that caffeine causes us to lose water (jus****ch me drink coffee than head for the bathroom ) however, I don't believe that it is even close to being as terrible as people make out.

Caffeine: Oh boy...here's a highly controversial subject. The camps are almost equally divided on this topic. ½ say the stuff is evil, not just to people with the RNY, but to anyone and the other ½ say it's just dandy - suck your fill. Sure I have my opinions on this, but what does current research say? Research shows that caffeine does leach calcium from bones (mostly in women). However research shows that women who consume at least one cup of milk per day do not show any variance in bone density. (JAMA, 26 Ja***** p. 280-3.) Does this apply to RNY patients? There are no current (or even old) studies pertaining to RNY patients that I've been able to find or been directed to. Caffeine is not an appetite stimulant, though I am constantly amazed at how many think it is. It is in fact a known appetite suppressant. Think about it...why do you think they put it in diet pills for decades? Also research shows that it can increase one's metabolism and the body's ability to metabolize fatty acids, but not when used habitually (on a regular basis). When consumed regularly, it seems to make no marked difference either way. Caffeine is not addictive, though it is habit forming. Many people confuse the headaches, fatigue, etc. from caffeine deprivation with addiction. This just isn't true. Your brain isn't being artificially stimulated. Addiction means that the caffeine replaces something (i.e., dopamine) in the brain/body and the brain/body stops producing it in favor of the drug. With caffeine this is not the case. It does stimulate the brain and body, but doesn't replace the production of any chemical. Hence, it is not addictive. (McKinley Health Center, University of Illinois, 2002) People who are prone to iron deficiency (RNY patients fall into this category often) should stop drinking coffee one hour before and following meals, as well as before and after consuming supplemental iron, as it is shown to affect the absorption of iron due the polyphenols it contains. Other than the items listed above, research goes back and forth on the diuretic affects of caffeine. Current data shows that with people who have a tolerance to caffeine that the diuretic effect is so minimal as to have no impact worth noting. However, for persons who are not accustomed to caffeine, it can have a marked impact on their hydration and they should consume other non-caffeinated beverages at a 2:1 ratio.

Wow! All I can say Dame Tooter is You sure know your stuff (and if you don't you look it up!)

thanks...I'm an info junkie..but hey it's lower calorie than a snickers bar

My Dr. has also often stated the info about the amount of food we ate pre-op containing water so that the caffiene was not a critical factor. He advises against it post-op.