Health Tips

There are several factors in determining how much water you need each day. The old recommendation was 8 glasses of water 8 times a day. The Institute of Medicine advises men drink about 13 cups of water and women about 9 cups a water a day. But don’t wait until you’re feeling thirsty to get a drink. Thirst is a symptom of dehydration, so try to drink water throughout the day.

Are you jonesing for coffee first thing in the a.m.? Need a Coke in the afternoon? Caffeine has a reputation of being bad for you. Is it a bum rap? Read on for the facts behind 9 common caffeine myths.

Myth #1: Caffeine is addictive.
False: Although caffeine is considered a mild stimulant, it’s not addictive, according to the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. Unlike classic stimulants – think cocaine and amphetamines – there’s rarely a strong compulsion to use caffeine.

But caffeine can be habit-forming. That’s why you may feel mild withdrawal symptoms if you skip your morning cup of joe or afternoon pick-me-up.

Typical symptoms include headache, restlessness and irritability. Should you decide to give up caffeine, don’t go cold turkey; instead, slowly decrease your consumption over a week.

Really though, why bother? Studies show moderate caffeine intake actually enhances your mood and improves alertness.

For adults, the American Dietetic Association suggests no more than 200 mg to 300 mg a day, which equals two to three cups of coffee.

Myth #2: Caffeine causes dehydration.
True: Caffeine is a mild diuretic, but “it’s not very pronounced,” says Franz H. Messerli, M.D., a professor of clinical medicine at Columbia University in New York City.

Still, diuretics make you have to pee. The more often you go, the more fluids you lose. And you'll feel more dehydrated because you’re losing more fluids than you’re taking in.

“I wouldn’t drink a double espresso before a run, but would have no problem drinking a 12-ounce Coke,” Messerli explains. That’s because all fluids, even those with caffeine, contribute to the body’s daily fluid total.

Myth #3: Caffeine can make heart disease worse.
False: Doctors often tell cardiac patients, especially those with high blood pressure, to avoid caffeine. But there’s little proof that it raises the risk of heart attack, sudden death or abnormal heart rhythms.

In fact, coffee drinking may reduce risk of heart disease!

A study by Autonomous University of Madrid of more than 126,000 people found that women who drank two to three cups of caffeinated coffee per day had a 25% lower risk of heart disease. Men didn’t show any higher or lower risk.

Drinking tea – black and green – may also have heart-healthy benefits.

"Tea in general seems to have cardiovascular benefits,” says Messerli, also a cardiologist and director of hypertension at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center in Manhattan. The “benefits of tea are probably due to its antioxidant properties,” he says.

But not all teas are created equal. Herbal ones such as chamomile, rosebud and elderberry don’t have the same antioxidants.

Plus, “when you add cream or milk, you may abolish the benefits,” Messerli says, “because it seems that the milk or the cream prevents the antioxidant substance from acting.”

Myth #4: Caffeine heightens hypertension risk.
True and false: Caffeine does cause a small, short-term boost in blood pressure, but it’s nothing serious, Messerli says, and has no lingering health effect.

In fact, a Harvard University Medical School study of 155,000 female nurses found no link between a decade of coffee drinking – with or without caffeine – and an increased risk of hypertension. Caffeinated colas did increase the risk, but that could be due to the sugar and other ingredients in sodas, not the caffeine. Tea drinking received mixed results.