Does the use of caffeine, alcohol, or prescription diuretics change these new fluid-intake recommendations?
This question requires three separate answers: • Caffeine: Most people know that caffeine and alcohol have diuretic-like effects. However, caffeine is a relatively mild diuretic and this effect appears to diminish with daily consumption. Thus, regular caffeine use by non-athletes is probably less of an issue than failure to meet these new fluid-intake recommendations. Further, the kidney can easily reverse the diuretic effect of caffeine once exercise begins (Wemple RD, et al. 1997). So, it would seem that caffeine-drinkers don’t need to increase their daily fluid intake beyond the amounts recommended in the 2004 Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines. • Alcohol: Alcohol is a stronger diuretic than caffeine. In addition, it doesn’t appear that your body develops a tolerance to the diuretic effects of alcohol like it does for caffeine. Thus, dehydration is just another in a long list of reasons to minimize the amount of alcohol you consume. On days that you might drink too much alcohol,
