Tea is a diuretic, but it contains water......?

Question

But how diuretic is it VS how much water does it have?

In other words, what's the net effect... If I drink lots of tea will I be very hydrated, or very dehydrated.

Answer 1

The net affect is hydration.

Answer 2

Tea is ok, it has some good properties, you are hydrated with Tea but water is also a must

oh i drink tea daily!!

Answer 3

Well, technically, water could be considered a diuretic too.  A diuretic is just anything that makes you urinate.  But I take your meaning.  ;-)

It's the caffeine in tea that may have a mild diuretic property, and no one is all that sure how important that is in terms of total effect.  The amount of caffeine in tea also depends a lot on what kind of tea it is and how strong it is.  Caffeine is in a class of compounds called xanthines and probably the greatest effect on urine production is that it acts on the central nervous system and speeds it up, which also increases the amount of blood going to the kidneys (thus increasing your urine production).  Some researchers even think that caffeine helps athletic performance; there's a lot of research going on right now.  In any case, the effect on urine production is minimal.

If you drink sweetened tea, the sugars or sweeteners will also have a diuretic property.

Overall, if you're not thirsty, you're probably not dehydrated.  And if you are drinking too much caffeine, you will probably have other problems before you would have to worry about the diuretic effect or becoming dehydrated.  Have a glass of water once in a while too.  *g*

Answer 4

its only a diuretic cuz its got caffeine in it so if you dont want to be dehydrated drink decaff tea

oh n 1 cup of tea counts as half a cup of water

Answer 5

The net effect of caffeine-containing drinks is hydration. Good question, though: popular culture has the answer wrong.

Answer 6

Impossible to conclusively answer: depends on your hydration status before the episodic tea drinking.  Plus, drinking any large volume of fluid instantly promotes a water diuresis through a reflex action.

Probably, drinking copious amounts will more than offset the dehydration caused through the caffeine content of the tea.