the Natural Condition

Americans have long accepted the idea that caffeine acts as a diuretic, causing fluid excretion to exceed fluid retention. The New York Times: Health published an article yesterday (March 4th) that suggests otherwise, citing several studies conducted in the past few years. According to the report,

… research has not confirmed that notion. Most studies have found that in moderate amounts, caffeine has only mild diuretic effects — much like water. … Investigations comparing caffeine with water or placebo seldom found a statistical difference in urine volume

While a cup of coffee might be a fine way to start your morning, remember to consume a total of 2-3 liters of fluids each day to remain truly hydrated. Be well and drink up!

In my own investigation, I found these scholarly studies supporting this claim:
(1) Caffeine, Fluid-Electrolyte Balance, Temperature Regulation, and Exercise-Heat Tolerance. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews. 2007. [full article - limited access]
(2) Caffeine ingestion and fluid balance: a review. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. 2003.

It was not that long ago that one of my college buddies mentioned to me that asparagus makes your urine smell bad. Apparently this fact is rather widely disseminated among young adults (adolescents rarely partake of the vegetable out of childish aversion), and although I do eat, and enjoy, asparagus, I was uninformed, obviously uninformed, of the urine bit. As I prepared some asparagus for this evening’s dinner, I decided to look into the phenomenon.

This notion of noisomeness associated with asparagus was first documented in the 1730s, despite the food’s longstanding culinary presence. It was not until the 20th century, however, that scientists investigated it. Although, I suppose that malodorous urine was no reason to keep a scientist up at night, considering that they did not yet realize that living organisms are made of cells, nor that infection is caused by germs. In any case, as far as I can tell, scientists first began to probe the issue in the 1950s. For the next 30-some years, it appears that they concluded, incorrectly, that Read the rest of this entry »