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GUEST BLOG / A report by Healthline.com--Coffee is such a popular beverage that its
consumption levels come second only to water in some countries (1Trusted
Source).
In addition to helping you
feel less tired and more alert, the caffeine in coffee may improve your mood,
brain function, and exercise performance. It may also boost weight loss and
protect against illnesses like type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease.
Many people enjoy drinking
coffee first thing in the morning. Yet, some people assert that having it on an
empty stomach may harm your health.
This article discusses
whether you should drink coffee on an empty stomach.
Does it cause digestive
issues?
Research shows that coffee’s
bitterness may stimulate the production of stomach acid.
As such, many people believe
that coffee irritates your stomach, worsens symptoms of gut disorders like irritable
bowel syndrome (IBS), and causes heartburn, ulcers, nausea, acid reflux, and
indigestion.
Some suggest that drinking
your cup of joe on an empty stomach is particularly harmful since there’s no
other food present to prevent the acid from damaging your stomach lining.
Yet, research fails to find a
strong link between coffee and digestive troubles — regardless of whether you
drink it on an empty stomach.
While a small proportion of
people are extremely sensitive to coffee and regularly experience heartburn,
vomiting, or indigestion, the frequency and severity of these symptoms remain
constant regardless of whether they drink it on an empty stomach or with food.
Still, it’s important to pay
attention to how your body responds. If you experience digestive issues after
drinking coffee on an empty stomach but not when drinking it with a meal,
consider adjusting your intake accordingly.
SUMMARY
Coffee increases the
production of stomach acid but doesn’t appear to cause digestive issues for
most people. Therefore, drinking it on an empty stomach is perfectly fine.
Does it raise stress hormone
levels?
Another common argument is
that drinking coffee on an empty stomach may increase levels of the stress
hormone cortisol.
Cortisol is produced by your
adrenal glands and helps regulate metabolism, blood pressure, and blood sugar
levels. Yet, chronically excessive levels can trigger health problems,
including bone loss, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
Cortisol levels naturally
peak around the time you wake up, decline over the day, and peak again during
the early phases of sleep.
Interestingly, coffee
stimulates cortisol production. Thus, some people claim that drinking it first
thing in the morning, when cortisol levels are already high, can be dangerous.
However, cortisol production
in response to coffee appears much lower among people who drink it regularly,
and some studies show no rise in cortisol at all. Plus, there’s little evidence
to suggest that drinking coffee on a full stomach reduces this response.
What’s more, even if you
don’t drink it often, any increase in cortisol levels seems to be temporary.
There’s little reason to
believe that such a brief peak would result in long-term health complications.
In short, the negative
effects of chronically high levels of this hormone are more likely to result
from a health disorder like Cushing’s syndrome than from your coffee intake.
SUMMARY
Coffee may cause a temporary
rise in the stress hormone cortisol. Nonetheless, this is unlikely to result in
health problems, regardless of whether you drink it on an empty stomach or with
food.
Other potential side effects
Coffee may also have a few
negative side effects, regardless of whether you drink it on an empty stomach.
For instance, caffeine can be
addictive, and some people’s genetics may make them particularly sensitive to
it.
That’s because regular coffee
intake can alter your brain chemistry, requiring progressively larger amounts
of caffeine to produce the same effects.
Drinking excessive amounts
may lead to anxiety, restlessness, heart palpitations, and worsened panic
attacks. It may even result in headaches, migraines, and high blood pressure in
some individuals.
For this reason, most experts
agree that you should cap your caffeine intake at around 400 mg per day — the equivalent of 4–5 cups (0.95–1.12 liters) of coffee.
Since its effects can last up
to 7 hours in adults, coffee may also disrupt your sleep, particularly if you
drink it late in the day.
Finally, caffeine can easily
cross the placenta, and its effects can last up to 16 hours longer than usual
in pregnant women and their babies. Hence, pregnant women are encouraged to
limit their coffee intake to 1–2 cups (240–480 ml) per day.
Keep in mind that drinking coffee
on an empty stomach doesn’t appear to affect the strength or frequency of these
effects.
SUMMARY
Drinking too much coffee may
cause anxiety, restlessness, migraines, and poor sleep. However, no evidence
indicates that drinking it on an empty stomach affects the frequency or
strength of these side effects.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Many people enjoy coffee
first thing in the morning before they’ve eaten.
Despite persistent myths,
little scientific evidence suggests that drinking it on an empty stomach is harmful.
Rather, it likely has the same effects on your body no matter how you consume
it.
All the same, if you
experience digestive issues when drinking coffee on an empty stomach, try
having it with food instead. If you notice an improvement, it may be best to
adjust your routine accordingly.
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