the only fluids I drink are decaffeinated coffee and also water of course. (Although occasionally I have a proper coffee if I have a bad migraine -- it seems to help a bit -- the vasoconstrictive properties I guess).

My question is "is decaffeinated coffee at all dehydrating." I've assumed it isn't because I believed it's the caffeine that's dehydrating. Does anyone know?

many thanks,

You made me curious, so I looked it up since my cardiologist seem more concerned about caffeine dehydrating me then affecting heart rate.

I keep seeing this over and over:
"Moderate caffeine consumption causes a mild diuresis very similar to that of water (water, when consumed in large volume, increases urine output)." and
"A person who regularly consumes caffeine has a higher tolerance to the diuretic effect."

I think as long as you're drinking an adequate amount of water and other non caffeinated drinks/eating fresh fruit that it doesn't really matter as long as you can tolerate the caffeine in the first place.

I drink soda. Never could handle the bitter tastes of coffee. I realize now that for years a soda in the morning was my way of getting my blood pressure up.

I don't think any decaf. drinks are dehydrating...I know when my stepmom was going to weight watchers she had to drink 8 glasses of water a day but they told her any decaf. beverage counted towards that. I think it is only the caffeine ones that are dehydrating.

Pretty much I drink water with lemon and decaf iced tea all day long (little if no sugar in the tea). Has never seemed to contribute to dehydration and because the tea is mostly water, I think it helps.

My neurologist admonished me to stop all coffee consumption because he claimed it caused you to pee out more fluid than you take in. Of course I went home immediately and researched it and found a site that actually gathered together all the research on this issue and the overwhelming consensus was that coffee did not cause you to dehydrate and that you have a net gain of fluid from drinking it. And yes, those who don't regularly consume caffine can have a mild diruetic effect from it but regular users do not. I know I have to pee after my usual two cups of coffee a day but I also have to pee if I drink the same amount of water. I was also interested to note that the ONLY paper saying that coffee actually dehydrates you was written by a doc out of the same medical center as my neurologist...

Thank you all,

I was pretty sure decaf coffee was not dehydrating. I thought caffeinated coffee probably was but it never seemed to affect me that way -- as in I wouldn't pee more than if I'd drunk the same amount of water.

That said, I have a slight migraine pain this morning and am going to go have a instant caffeinated coffee right now. Caffeinated coffee helps with my migraines -- being a vasoconstritor.

I didn't drink caffeinated coffee for 20 years (told it would make my panic disorder that I never had, worse). Now I find that the occcasional cup has quite a noticeable affect on migraine for me. I do believe that caffeinated coffee is a vaso-constrictor so that would make sense.

{Just came back to note that I realized I repeated myself after I posted my response. And so it goes.....)

many thanks for your responses, and thanks Mcaimmless for your research. I found THAT most interesting.