Coffee is such a popular beverage that its usage levels come second just to water in some countries. In addition to helping you feel less exhausted and more alert, the caffeine in coffee might improve your state of mind, brain function, and exercise efficiency. It might likewise boost weight loss and protect against illnesses like type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease.
Many individuals take pleasure in drinking coffee first thing in the morning. Yet, some individuals 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 study shows that coffee’s bitterness may stimulate the production of stomach acid.
As such, lots of people think that coffee irritates your stomach, worsens signs of gut disorders like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and causes heartburn, ulcers, nausea, acid reflux, and indigestion.
Some recommend that consuming your cup of joe on an empty stomach is especially harmful since there’s no other food present to prevent the acid from damaging your stomach lining.
Yet, research study fails to find a strong link in between coffee and digestive troubles — despite whether you drink it on an empty stomach.
While a small percentage of people are incredibly sensitive to coffee and regularly experience heartburn, vomiting, or indigestion, the frequency and severity of these signs remain consistent regardless of whether they drink it on an empty stomach or with food.
Still, it’s important to pay attention to how your body reacts. If you experience digestive issues after consuming coffee on an empty stomach but not when consuming it with a meal, consider changing your consumption accordingly.
Does It Raise Stress Hormone Levels?
Another typical 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 assists manage metabolism, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. Yet, chronically excessive levels can activate health problems, consisting of bone loss, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
Cortisol levels naturally peak around the time you get up, decline over the day, and peak again during the early stages of sleep.
Interestingly, coffee stimulates cortisol production. Therefore, some people declare that consuming it first thing in the morning, when cortisol levels are currently high, can be dangerous.
However, cortisol production in reaction to coffee appears much lower amongst individuals who consume it regularly, and some research studies show no rise in cortisol at all. Plus, there’s little evidence to suggest that drinking coffee on a full stomach minimizes this action.
What’s more, even if you don’t consume it frequently, any boost in cortisol levels appears to be momentary.
There’s little factor to think that such a short peak would result in long-term health issues.
In short, the negative effects of chronically high levels of this hormone are most likely to result from a health condition like Cushing’s syndrome than from your coffee intake.
Other Potential Side Effects
Coffee may also have a few unfavorable side effects, despite whether you drink it on an empty stomach.
For example, caffeine can be addictive, and some people’s genetics may make them especially conscious it.
That’s because routine coffee consumption can alter your brain chemistry, requiring progressively larger amounts of caffeine to produce the same impacts.
Drinking extreme amounts might lead to stress and anxiety, restlessness, heart palpitations, and worsened panic attacks. It might even lead to headaches, migraines, and high blood pressure in some individuals.
For this reason, the majority of professionals concur 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.
Because its effects can last up to 7 hours in adults, coffee might likewise disrupt your sleep, especially if you consume it late in the day.
Lastly, caffeine can easily cross the placenta, and its effects can last up to 16 hours longer than normal in pregnant women and their babies. Hence, pregnant women are encouraged to limit their coffee consumption to 1 — 2 cups (240 — 480 ml) per day.
Remember that drinking coffee on an empty stomach doesn’t appear to affect the strength or frequency of these results.
The Bottom Line
Many individuals take pleasure in coffee first thing in the morning prior to they’ve consumed.
In spite of persistent myths, little scientific proof suggests that drinking it on an empty stomach is harmful. Rather, it likely has the same impacts on your body no matter how you consume it.
All the same, if you experience digestive issues when drinking coffee on an empty stomach, attempt having it with food instead. If you observe an improvement, it might be best to change your routine accordingly.
