Health officials have warned people living in the southwest to avoid drinking coffee due to ‘dangerously hot conditions.’
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a statement this week about severe heatwaves in Nevada, California and Arizona, where temperatures are expected to hit up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 C) in the coming days.
The agency said due to its caffeine, even iced coffee is a diuretic, meaning it tells the body to produce and pass more urine. Energy drinks and soda are also a risk.
Increased urination causes the body to lose fluids, and if those fluids can’t be replaced, the body becomes dehydrated.
Without enough fluids, blood volume in the body diminishes, damaging the kidneys, heart, brain and other vital organs.
The agency also cautioned against eating meals high in protein, as they naturally raise body temperature because the body needs to expend more energy to digest them.
The warning comes as heat-related deaths in the US have doubled in the past 25 years and couple even triple in the next 50 due to gradually increasing temperatures.
Even Alaska has issued its first-ever heat advisory, though temperatures are only expected to hit 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29 C).
The National Weather Service warned Americans not to drink coffee in extreme temperatures because it causes the body to lose vital fluids (stock image)
Pictured above is a graphic shared on X by NWS Las Vegas this week
Around 1,200 Americans die from heat-related causes every year, though officials note the actual number could be 10-fold higher due to underreporting.
NWS said parts of Arizona in the coming days could see 115-degree temperatures, while Death Valley National Park may see 120.
In a post on X, NWS Las Vegas said today and tomorrow will be the area’s hottest days of the week.
In a list of ‘don’ts’ on a graphic, it warned: ‘alcohol and caffeine can speed up dehydration.’
Diuretic drinks like these tell the kidneys to release more water and produce more urine, which helps the body get rid of excess fluid.
But in hot temperatures, the body is already losing fluid due to sweating, so diuretics could drain the body of fluids faster than they can be replaced.
In response, blood volume decreases, which means not enough of it can flow to vital organs.
This makes sweating, which cools the body down, less effective and makes the body’s internal temperature increase.
This leads to heat stroke, which causes nausea, vomiting, a rapid pulse, loss of consciousness and organ failure.
Officials also urged people to steer clear of high-protein meals in high temperatures, as protein takes more energy to digest and raises body temperature (stock image)
Temperatures in Death Valley National Park in California (pictured here) could reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 C) this week
The NWS also warned against meals high in protein. Compared to carbohydrates and fats, protein takes more energy to digest into amino acid, meaning the body burns more calories. This generates heat.
Body temperature increases as a result, a process called diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT).
This could explain why eating protein-rich foods might cause ‘meat sweats.’
Instead, NWS encouraged people in hot areas to ‘drink plenty of water or sports drinks.
Health authorities also suggest skipping steak and chicken and instead opting for foods with high water content like watermelon, berries, melons and cucumbers.
