By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-14 22:52:02 | Updated at 2025-01-15 05:54:35
7 hours ago
Experts have ranked the nine beverages most likely to send you running to the bathroom.
On average, most people pee anywhere from four to eight times a day, including once or twice throughout the night.
However, if you find yourself racing to the bathroom every couple of hours, it could have something to do with what you're drinking.
Doctors told DailyMail.com that a beer or glass of wine is most likely to make you pee, as alcohol disrupts hormones that normally suppress urine production. This makes the body produce more urine.
Energy drinks like Monster and Red Bull followed close behind, as their high caffeine from stimulants like guarana content can irritate the bladder and reduce bladder control.
This irritation tells the brain the bladder is full, even if it isn't, signaling a need to use the bathroom.
Other caffeinated drinks like coffee and tea may also act as bladder irritants, ranking them in third place.
Meanwhile, decaf coffee and smoothies are the least bathroom break-inducing drinks, as they are made with low-acidic ingredients not shown to disrupt the bladder.
Aside from being inconvenient, experts also warned that frequent urination can lead to long-term issues like 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 for the bladder. This is due to it acting 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 alcoholic beverages are the number one drink that will make you pee.
Normally, the brain's hypothalamus - the part of the brain that helps manage your body temperature, hunger and thirst, mood, sex drive, blood pressure and sleep - produces antidiuretic hormone (ADH), a chemical that regulates the body's water and salt levels.
ADH tells the kidneys to reabsorb more water, reducing the amount of urine they produce.
However, alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it blocks ADH and makes fluids run through the body faster, which makes it feel like you need to urinate.
Dr Houman said: 'Alcohol suppresses ADH, which normally signals the kidneys to reabsorb water. Without ADH, the kidneys excrete more water, increasing urine production.'
Beverages with a higher alcohol content, such as wine and liquor, tend to be more diuretic than lower-alcohol beverages like 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 during urination, making the bladder more sensitive and prompting the feeling of needing to pee.
Next on his list was caffeinated drinks, with energy drinks coming out on top.
While the content varies, these usually contain anywhere from 80 to 160 milligrams, up to twice the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee.
Dr Houman said because energy drinks are high in caffeine and other stimulants like guarana, they also act as a diuretic, 'increasing urine production, and also irritat[ing] 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 carries nutrients and waste. This then can suppress ADH, much like alcohol does.
Dr Houman also pointed to 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, leading to increased urgency
Smoothies can irritate the bladder lining, depending on the fruit used. Dr Houman recommended low-acid fruits like bananas, melons, and apples
Coffee and tea followed closely behind, taking third place on Dr Houman's list, as they have the same diuretic properties as energy drinks but contain less caffeine.
One recent study in the journal Current Urology, for example, found just under half of participants over age 60 who complained of an overactive bladder also consumed more than 300 milligrams of caffeine per day.
This is roughly three cups of coffee or six cups of tea.
Dr Houman ranked carbonated sodas as fourth on his list.
These fizzy drinks contain dissolved carbon dioxide, which creates an acidic environment that stimulates the bladder lining, leading to increased bladder urgency.
Caffeine exacerbates this effect, along with other additives in sodas.
Dr Houman said: 'Sugar and artificial sweeteners can also contribute to irritation.'
A 2020 study in the journal Menopause, for example, found women who drank at least one artificially sweetened beverage per day were 10 percent more likely to experience incontinence compared to those who didn't drink them.
This irritation can also be caused by plain seltzers, though Dr Houman said 'the effect is milder than soda' due to the lack of caffeine and sugar.
On the lower end of the list, Dr Houman mentioned fruit juices.
He said: 'Many fruit juices, especially citrus-based ones, are highly acidic and can irritate the bladder.'
One recent study of nearly 600 women with bladder diseases and pain found fruits high in citrus like lemons, oranges, and grapefruit worsened their symptoms.
Dr Houman pointed to similar effects with smoothies made from high-acid fruits like citrus, grapes, berries, and pineapple.
Though coffee and tea ranked high on Dr Houman's list, decaffeinated or herbal varieties came in at the bottom of the list.
He said the lack of caffeine leaves a 'minimal impact on bladder function compared to caffeinated drinks.'
'Enjoy the taste 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 like oranges or pineapples can irritate the bladder, while those made with low-acid fruits are less likely to cause issues.'
