Ever wonder why both coffee and alcohol have the unfortunate tendency to make you pee?
Well aside from the fact that you may have been binge drinking both of these substances
Hopefully not at the same time. There are actually some simple biological processes at work when nature decides to call.
Your pituitary gland which resides the base of the brain controls the release of a hormone known as antidiuretic hormone.
Or ADH for short. ADH is secreted by the pituitary gland enters the bloodstream and is then carried to the kidney the kidney
among other things is responsible for monitoring
How much water is in your body and whether or not you can afford to get rid of it
In times of dehydration ADH is responsible for retaining water in your body by inducing the production of aquaporins in the kidney
Aquaporins are proteins embedded in the kidneys cell membrane that regulate the flow of water in this case allowing water to be reabsorbed back into
The body so the less water you've got more adh which means greater production of aquaporins and more water reabsorbed
So instead of letting it out
You keep it in. Think of it
Like a glass of water when you're really thirsty
The aquaporins act like a straw and allow for the water to flow back into your body. More straws equals more water reabsorbed
So what does ADH have to do with caffeine or alcohol?
Well, both caffeine and alcohol inhibit the release of ADH by the pituitary gland and as a result the
Aquaporins are not created to reabsorb water and the amount of water in your pee increases
This explains why once you've had your morning coffee or at least a couple beers on the patio a pee break is usually soon followed
In the case of alcohol this inhibition of adh unfortunately contributes to something known as a damn hangover this also explains
Why urine can seem clear during consumption and look like Tropicana orange juice the next morning. Are you sure you want coffee Frank?
That's better
(music)