More good news about coffee: It won’t dehydrate you after all, study finds

If you’ve ever heard someone warn that coffee makes you dehydrated, you can ignore the myth and keep sipping your cup of joe. According to a new U.K. study published in the PLOS ONE online science publication, your caffeine kick won’t cause dehydration.

Researchers at the University of Birmingham School of Sport and Exercise Sciences studied the effects of moderate coffee consumption, and consumption of equal amounts of water on 50 male participants.

The men were asked to drink either four mugs of black coffee or water for three days in the first phase of the study, then drink the opposite for three days in the second phase. The phases were separated by a 10 day “wash out” period.

The subjects’ body mass and total body water, blood and urine were analyzed. No link between moderate coffee consumption and dehydration were found.

“Despite a lack of scientific evidence, it is a common belief that coffee consumption can lead to dehydration and should be avoided, or reduced, in order to maintain a healthy fluid balance,” said Sophie Killer, lead author of the study, in a statement. “Our research aimed to establish if regular coffee consumption, under normal living conditions, is detrimental to the drinker’s hydration status.”

In addition to not dehydrating you, results showed the coffee actually contributed to a person’s daily fluid requirements.

The study was funded by the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC), a nonprofit that focuses on the study of coffee and health.

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