Coffee can even provide some amazing health benefits, but coffee drinkers should avoid drinking it on an empty stomach.
Coffee tastes great and provides the energy boost you need before a busy day, but it also has numerous health benefits such as boosting metabolism and fat burning, improving cognitive health, and potentially even helping you live longer. Old habits die hard, but delaying your first cup of coffee until after you’ve eaten breakfast (or enjoying it with your meal) could make this drink even better for your health.
Here’s what you need to know about drinking coffee on an empty stomach and whether you should consider switching up your morning caffeine routine.
Coffee and cortisol levels
One common argument for avoiding coffee first thing in the morning relates to its effect on cortisol production, AKA stress hormones. Cortisol levels in the body ebb and flow in a natural cycle throughout the day, with levels peaking right around the time you wake up. Caffeine can possibly cause an increase in cortisol, so drinking it when cortisol is already high may potentially lead to unhealthy levels of the stress hormone.
However, researchers found that people who regularly drink coffee experience a much smaller rise in cortisol from caffeine, with the time of day making little to no difference. Plus, this small increase is only temporary and unlikely to lead to any long-term health effects.
Drinking coffee on an empty stomach may cause acid reflux
The biggest reason you may want to wait until after breakfast to drink your cup of coffee has to do with your stomach.
While that comforting cup of coffee tastes delicious, most of us are really looking forward to the jolt of caffeine it gives us. “Caffeine stimulates a hormone called gastrin, which tells your stomach to release hydrochloric acid (stomach acid),” says Andrew Akhaphong, MS, RD, LD, registered dietitian at Mackenthun’s Fine Foods.
While coffee may increase the acid your stomach produces, it can also lower the pressure of your lower esophageal sphincter (the sphincter in between your stomach and esophagus). Reducing the pressure of the lower esophageal sphincter can lead to acid reflux as the acid from the stomach travels back up into the esophagus. Symptoms of acid reflux include a burning sensation in the chest, acidic or bitter taste, trouble swallowing, or regurgitating small amounts of food or fluids.
Even if you’re sticking to decaf, you still may not be in the clear, depending on the sensitivity of your stomach. During the removal of caffeine, some of the acids are removed from the coffee, reducing the amount of acid your stomach produces. But for people who are highly sensitive or have more severe acid reflux, drinking even decaf coffee before eating could increase the risk of stomach pains.
Eating a meal rich in fiber before indulging in your coffee can help absorb any excess hydrochloric acid, protecting your stomach from heartburn and reducing the risk of ulcers, explains Akhaphong. So, if you need inspiration, try one of these high-fiber breakfasts to fill up before drinking that first cup of coffee.
This isn’t to say that you can never have coffee on an empty stomach. In fact, these effects may not show up in everyone. But it’s important to pay attention to how your body feels after drinking coffee on an empty stomach, and if you feel any of these stomach pains or symptoms of acid reflux, it may be a good idea to eat a balanced breakfast before indulging in your morning cup of Joe.
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