If you are like many Americans, you start your day with your morning cup of coffee to prepare you for the challenges ahead. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimated 2010 United States coffee consumption at about 1.15 million tons, accounting for just over 16 percent of the global consumption. Along with its effects on the nervous system, coffee can affect other systems of the body including the cardiovascular and urinary systems. Its impact on the latter can help explain its effect on sodium levels.
Diuretic Properties
The caffeine contained in coffee has diuretic properties that can affect levels of chemicals such as sodium. A 5-oz. cup of coffee can contain anywhere between 60 to 150 mg of caffeine. The more caffeine it contains, the greater the diuretic effects. Consuming coffee will lead to an increase in urine production. While mainly water, urine also contains sodium, potassium, and other compounds that can be depleted from the body. The degree of the effect of coffee will vary with the individual. Your lifestyle will also play a role in coffee's effects.
Other Considerations
Drinking caffeinated coffee may help improve your athletic performance due to its effects on the nervous system. A complex series of chemical reactions leads to an increase in epinephrine or adrenaline release. In effect, drinking coffee puts your body into a fight-or-flight state with an increase in heart rate and blood flow. Caffeine combined with increased physical activity can lead to additional losses of sodium from perspiration.
Symptoms
The symptoms of a sodium deficiency include headache and fatigue. Curiously, these are similar symptoms to caffeine withdrawal in individuals that regularly consume caffeinated coffee. Sodium plays a role in the most basic of life functions. A depletion therefore, can lead to serious and potentially life-threatening health consequences such as swelling of the brain, seizures and coma.
Prevention
If you consume coffee regularly, it is important to replenish the water and sodium being lost through its diuretic effects. While drinking coffee alone will not lead to dehydration in most cases, it is nevertheless important to maintain the proper fluid balance in the body. The fluids in your body will in turn affect the concentration of chemicals like sodium for healthy body function. MayoClinic.com recommends drinking 8 to 9 cups of water a day, depending upon your lifestyle.
References
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Coffee
- Neuroscience for Kids: Effects of Caffeine on the Nervous System
- LEDA at Harvard Law School; Reconsidering Caffeine; David Mrazik; April 27, 2004
- "Appetite"; Caffeine Ingestion, Affect and Perceived Exertion During Prolonged Cycling; S. Backhouse, et al.; May 2011
- "Psychopharmacology"; Fourteen Well-Described Caffeine Withdrawal Symptoms Factor into Three Clusters; S. Ozsungur, et al.; January 2009
- MayoClinic.com; Water: How Much Should You Drink Every Day?; April 17, 2010
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