Which drinks make you pee the most? Experiments reveal surprising answers

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

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

However, if you find yourself rushing to the toilet every few hours, it may have something to do with what you’re drinking.

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

Energy drinks such as Monster and Red Bull followed closely behind, as their high caffeine content from stimulants such as guarana can irritate the bladder and reduce bladder control.

This irritation tells the brain that the bladder is full even when it is not, signaling that you need to go to the toilet.

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

Meanwhile, decaffeinated coffee and smoothies are the least likely to break into the bathroom because they’re made with low-acid ingredients that haven’t been shown to disrupt the bladder.

Besides being uncomfortable, 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, told DailyMail.com that alcoholic beverages are the number one drink that makes you pee.

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

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 causes fluids to move through the body faster, making you feel like you need to pee.

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.’

Drinks with a higher alcohol content, such as wine and spirits, tend to be more diuretic than drinks with a lower alcohol content, 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 during urination, making the bladder more sensitive and creating the sensation of needing to urinate.

Next on his list were caffeinated drinks, with energy drinks at the top.

Although contents vary, these usually contain 80 to 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 a diuretic, “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 to added sugars in energy drinks, which have been shown to increase bladder urges.

Coffee and tea followed closely behind, taking third place on Dr. Houman, because they have the same diuretic properties as energy drinks, but contain less caffeine.

A recent study in the journal Current UrologyFor example, it turned out that just under half of participants over the age of 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 soft drinks fourth on his list.

These carbonated drinks contain dissolved carbon dioxide, which creates an acidic environment that stimulates the bladder wall, leading to increased bladder urgency.

Caffeine worsens 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 was found that women who drank at least one artificially sweetened drink per day were 10 percent more likely to experience incontinence compared to those who did not.

This irritation can also be caused by straight seltzers, although Dr. Houman said “the effect is milder than soda” due to the lack of caffeine and sugar.

At the bottom of the list, Dr. Houman fruit juices.

He said: ‘Many fruit juices, especially citrus-based ones, are very acidic and can irritate the bladder.’

A recent study of nearly 600 women with bladder conditions and pain found that fruits high in citrus, such as lemons, oranges and grapefruit, made their symptoms worse.

Dr. Houman pointed out similar effects with smoothies made from acidic fruits such as citrus fruits, grapes, berries and pineapple.

Although coffee and tea are high on Dr. Houman, caffeine-free or herbal variants were at the bottom of the list.

He said the lack of caffeine has 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 such as bananas, melons and apples were at the bottom of the list. Although low in acid, these fruits have a high water content, making them more hydrating than smoothies made with citrus.

Dr. Houman said: ‘Highly acidic fruits such as oranges or pineapple can irritate the bladder, while fruits made with low acid fruits are less likely to cause problems.’