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If water consumption from foods and beverages matches water losses (mostly from the urine) then that is the happy place of fluid balance. A diuretic can upset this delicate balance by causing more water to be lost. Caffeine for many years has been considered a diuretic, but this view has changed as more research came to light showing its effect on fluid balance is minor at best.With much interest in how different drinks can affect fluid balance, scientists have developed a ‘beverage hydration index’. The index ranks fluids by the balance between how much the body retains or loses fluid when compared to water over 4 hours. Using the beverage hydration index, there is little to separate coffee and plain water. And the same goes for cola, diet cola, tea, iced tea, orange juice and even sports drinks – they all can keep a person hydrated just as well as water.Before you switch your drinking habits from ‘8 glasses of water’ to ‘8 cups of coffee’ a day to meet your likely fluid needs, a word of caution. Too much caffeine is not good for your health. Poor sleep patterns and insomnia, agitation, anxiety, and heart palpitations are well-described effects of too much caffeine. Keeping your daily caffeine habit below around 400 milligrams (about 4-5 cups of coffee) is the best to aim for.For regular drinkers of coffee and tea, the good news is that there is little need to worry about it dehydrating you. Another bit of good news is that coffee and tea have many health benefits linked to them including decreased risk of some cancers, heart disease and even type 2 diabetes. So drink up.#coffee #caffeine #hydration ☕☕