5 things to know about coffee if you have kidney disease

Coffee and kidney disease is a very important topic to address! Is coffee bad for your kidneys? How much coffee can you drink? What can you add to it? When should you drink it?

I answer all of these questions in this blog post! If you prefer to watch a video instead of reading, check out my YouTube episode below.

#1 Drinking moderate amounts of coffee is not bad for the kidneys

Drinking coffee has not been shown to cause kidney disease or worsen kidney disease. It has even been shown to be beneficial in the general population. Moderate amounts of coffee is associated with a reduced risk of AKI and Chronic Kidney Disease (1).

What is considered moderate? One-three 8 ounce cups of coffee/day is considered moderate consumption. So, up to 24 ounces of coffee/day is considered “moderate consumption” and safe for most people with and without kidney disease.

Here are a few important things to keep in mind:

1. This is a general recommendation. It is always best to check with your physician and renal dietitian for individualized recommendations around drinking coffee!
2. Most people’s coffee mugs are 12 ounces and most coffee shop cups are 12-24 ounces. People often drink way more coffee than they think!
3. Typically, drinking 1-3 cups of coffee/day does not contribute to dehydration. When coffee is consumed in excess (more than 3 cups/day) dehydration is possible and problematic for people with kidney disease.

#2 How much potassium is in coffee?

Not only can drinking too much coffee contribute to dehydration, it can also add a lot of potassium to your diet.

One 8 ounce cup of coffee contains 116 mg potassium and 7 mg phosphorus. So it is low in phosphorus. Coffee is also considered low-moderate in potassium when 8-16 ounces is consumed (116-232 mg).

However, if you aren’t mindful of how much you are drinking and consume 3+ cups, you are in the high potassium range (328+ mg potassium).

Measure how many ounces your coffee mugs are at home to see how much you’re actually consuming!

If your coffee mug is 12 ounces, you should limit to 2 cups/day which would be 24 ounces. If you drink out of a 16 ounce “to-go” coffee mug, you should limit to 1-1.5 of these/day.

#3 What you add to your coffee matters!

Adding sugary creamers is not helping your kidneys or your blood sugar control!

You don’t have to drink your coffee black if you don’t like it that way. It’s best to add your own milk/cream and sugar though than a store bought creamer.

You can choose regular sugar, coconut sugar, honey, maple syrup, etc, but just make sure to limit to a 1 teaspoon or smaller portion. This adds 4 g added sugar to your coffee.

For milk/creamer or plant milk/creamer, look for ones that don’t have phosphorus additives or sugar added.

Making your own creamer at home is a great option too! Here is my FAVORITE Cashew Coffee Creamer. It is thick and creamy and sweetened with dates so there is 0 g added sugar.  

If making your own creamer isn’t an option for you, you should check the label of store bought varieties. Get one with 4-5 g added sugar per serving or less and no phosphorus additives. They mostly all still contain oils and other additives. But when sticking to one serving, consumption is usually minimal.

Keep in mind that one serving of store bought creamer is usually 1 Tbsp. Most people free pour their creamer and have 2+ servings (especially if they’re consuming multiple cups of coffee/day). Measure out your portion to ensure you’re not getting multiple servings every time you drink coffee.

#4 Don’t drink coffee late in the day

The half life of coffee is different for everyone, but on average is 5 hours. This means that half of the caffeine in coffee is still present ~ 5 hours after consuming. It could be less for someone, but also longer (up to 9-10 hours) for someone else.

If you are consuming caffeinated coffee late in the afternoon (generally anything after 2 PM) it can impact your sleep. It can impact your ability to fall asleep, stay asleep, and get good quality sleep.

Let’s say you have an 8 ounce cup of coffee at 3 PM. That cup contains ~95 mg caffeine. So potentially, 48 mg of caffeine is still in your system at 8 PM when you should be winding down for bed.

It’s best to have it in the morning/early afternoon so you can ensure you are not disrupting your night time routine and sleep which is so important for kidney and overall health!

#5 Who with kidney disease shouldn’t drink coffee?

If you’re sensitive to caffeine, it is probably best for you to avoid drinking caffeinated coffee. Experiencing anxiousness, nervousness, or having heart palpitations when drinking coffee are all signs that you should stick to tea or warm water instead.

If you get heartburn, indigestion, or other GI issues when you drink coffee, then you should also avoid drinking it.

Or, if your doctor has directly advised you not to drink coffee, then you shouldn’t drink coffee. Or have a discussion with them about why they are making that recommendation so you understand the meaning behind the recommendation.

Key takeaways for coffee and kidney disease

1. Limit to one-three 8 ounce cups of coffee/day (adjust this amount based on your individual needs and sensitivity to caffeine).
2. What you add to your coffee matters. It will provide potassium, sugar, and other additives. Choose wisely since coffee is generally a beverage that people consume daily and make your own creamer at home if possible!
3. Don’t drink caffeinated coffee after 2 PM.
4. Coffee is not dehydrating and harmful for the kidneys when consumed in small-moderate amounts. But still make sure you drink a glass of water first thing in the morning when you wake up before enjoying your cup of joe!
5. If you’re on dialysis and have a fluid restriction, coffee will count in the total volume that you’re allowed to consume. So factor this in.

Again, here is the link for my favorite homemade cashew coffee creamer!

References:

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32958376/