Home Health What drinks make you urinate more? Experiments reveal surprising answers

What drinks make you urinate more? Experiments reveal surprising answers

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Dr. Justin Houman, a urologist and professor of urology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, ranked the drinks most likely to send you to the bathroom.

Experts have ranked the nine drinks most likely to make you run to the bathroom.

On average, most people urinate four to eight times a day, including once or twice during the night.

However, if you’re running to the bathroom every two hours, it could have something to do with what you’re drinking.

Doctors told DailyMail.com that a beer or glass of wine is more likely to make you urinate, as alcohol disrupts hormones that normally suppress urine production. This causes the body to produce more urine.

Energy drinks like Monster and Red Bull were close behind, as their high caffeine content from stimulants like guarana can irritate the bladder and reduce bladder control.

This irritation tells the brain that the bladder is full, even if it is not, signaling the need to go to the bathroom.

Other caffeinated beverages, such as coffee and tea, can also act as bladder irritants, putting them in third place.

Meanwhile, decaffeinated coffee and smoothies are the least potty-inducing beverages, as they’re made with low-acid, bladder-friendly ingredients.

In addition to being inconvenient, experts also warned that frequent urination can lead to long-term problems such as incontinence, urgency, restless sleep, and pelvic floor dysfunction.

Dr. Justin Houman, a urologist and professor of urology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, ranked the drinks most likely to send you to the bathroom.

Dr. Houman ranked alcohol as the most irritating beverage to the bladder. This is because it acts as a diuretic, meaning it tells the kidneys to produce more urine.

Dr. Houman ranked alcohol as the most irritating beverage to the bladder. This is because it acts as a diuretic, meaning it tells the kidneys to produce more urine.

Dr. Justin Houman, a urologist and professor of urology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, told DailyMail.com that alcoholic beverages are the number one drink that will make you urinate.

Normally, the brain’s hypothalamus (the part of the brain that helps control body temperature, hunger and thirst, mood, sexual desire, blood pressure, and sleep) produces antidiuretic hormone (ADH), a chemical substance that regulates water and salt levels in the body.

ADH tells the kidneys to reabsorb more water, which reduces the amount of urine they produce.

However, alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it blocks ADH and causes fluids to flow through your body faster, making you feel like urinating.

Dr Houman said: “Alcohol suppresses ADH, which normally signals the kidneys to reabsorb water. Without ADH, the kidneys excrete more water, which increases urine production.

Higher alcohol drinks, such as wine and spirits, tend to be more diuretic than lower alcohol drinks, such as beer, making this effect more pronounced.

Dr. Houman said alcohol also irritates the lining of the bladder. This irritation stimulates the detrusor muscle, which contracts when urinating, making the bladder more sensitive and causing the sensation of needing to urinate.

Next on their list were caffeinated drinks, and energy drinks topped the list.

While the content varies, they generally contain between 80 and 160 milligrams, up to twice the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee.

Dr. Houman said that because energy drinks are high in caffeine and other stimulants like guarana, they also act as diuretics, “increasing urine production and also irritating the bladder, causing urgency and frequency.”

Some energy drinks like Red Bull also contain taurine, an amino acid thought to improve clarity.

However, taurine helps maintain cell volume and increases the amount of interstitial fluid, which surrounds cells and transports nutrients and waste. This can then suppress ADH, just like alcohol does.

Dr. Houman also pointed out the added sugar found in energy drinks, which has been shown to increase bladder urgency.

In addition to being a diuretic, coffee can irritate the lining of the bladder, causing increased urgency.

In addition to being a diuretic, coffee can irritate the lining of the bladder, causing increased urgency.

Smoothies can irritate the bladder lining, depending on the fruit used. Dr. Houman recommended low-acid fruits such as bananas, melons, and apples.

Smoothies can irritate the bladder lining, depending on the fruit used. Dr. Houman recommended low-acid fruits such as bananas, melons, and apples.

Closely behind are coffee and tea, which are third on Dr. Houman’s list, as they have the same diuretic properties as energy drinks but contain less caffeine.

A recent study in the journal Current urologyFor example, it found that just under half of participants over age 60 who complained of overactive bladder also consumed more than 300 milligrams of caffeine per day.

This is approximately equivalent to three cups of coffee or six cups of tea.

Dr. Houman ranked carbonated soft drinks fourth on his list.

These soft drinks contain dissolved carbon dioxide, which creates an acidic environment that stimulates the bladder lining and increases bladder urgency.

Caffeine exacerbates this effect, along with other additives in soft drinks.

Dr Houman said: “Sugar and artificial sweeteners can also contribute to irritation.”

A 2020 study in the journal. MenopauseFor example, it found that women who drank at least one artificially sweetened beverage per day were 10 percent more likely to experience incontinence compared to those who did not.

This irritation can also be caused by simple carbonated drinks, although Dr. Houman said that “the effect is milder than that of soft drinks” due to the lack of caffeine and sugar.

At the lower end of the list, Dr. Houman mentioned fruit juices.

He said: “Many fruit juices, especially citrus juices, are very acidic and can irritate the bladder.”

A recent study of nearly 600 women with bladder illnesses and pain found that fruits high in citrus such as lemons, oranges and grapefruits worsened their symptoms.

Dr. Houman noted similar effects with smoothies made with high-acid fruits such as citrus, grapes, berries and pineapple.

Although coffee and tea were high on Dr. Houman’s list, decaffeinated or herbal varieties were low on the list.

He said the lack of caffeine leaves a “minimal impact on bladder function compared to caffeinated beverages.”

“Enjoy the flavor without the bladder stimulation caused by caffeine,” he added.

Smoothies made with low-acid fruits like bananas, melons and apples were at the bottom of the list. While low in acid, these fruits are high in water content, making them more hydrating than smoothies made with citrus.

Dr Houman said: “Highly acidic fruits such as oranges or pineapples can irritate the bladder, while those made from low-acid fruits are less likely to cause problems.”

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