Can you use caffeine on an empty stomach
Many people enjoy starting a morning with a cup of coffee. However, some claim that using its empty stomach can harm your health.
Beachboyx10/Depositphotos
Coffee is so popular drink that in some countries In terms of consumption, it is inferior only to water.
Besides caffeine Helps to feel Less tired and more attentive, it can improve mood, brain work and physical endurance.
Many people like to start the morning with a cup of coffee on an empty stomach.
« UP. Life » went to the endocrinologist Yulia Belyakova to find out if you can drink coffee on an empty stomach and how it affects the body.
How can an empty stomach can affect the body
On an empty stomach is part of the morning routine of many people.
However, the vecrynology doctor Yulia Belyakova advises first have breakfastdrink waterand then – coffee.
« Ideal to drink coffee 1-1.5 hours after breakfast. It is also useful for caffeine to not affect the absorption of vitamins and minerals from food, » -says the endocrinologist Yulia Belyakova.
The expert explains that coffee in the morning can have some negative impact on the body:
- Caffeine can cause stomach disorders.
Research showthat the bitterness of coffee stimulates the production of gastric acid.
Therefore, coffee can irritate the stomach, exacerbate the symptoms of digestive disorders such as irritable intestinal syndromeas well as cause heartburn, nausea and acid reflux.
« Coffee can irritate the gastric mucosa, especially when consumed on an empty stomach, contributing to heartburn or discomfort. This is due to the fact that it stimulates the production of gastric juice, » explains the endocrinology physician Yulia Belyakova.
At the same time, the expert emphasizes that this effect of morning coffee is felt by those who have hypersensitivity to caffeine.
« If you do not take it for a constant habit, sometimes you can drink coffee on an empty stomach for those who do not have negative symptoms after that, » the expert said.
- Coffee is capable of raising cortisol.
Eating an empty stomach can increase the stress hormone level – cortisol.
Cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands and helps regulate metabolism, blood pressure and Sugar level in the blood. At the same time, chronically increased cortisol levels can cause health problems: bone loss, Hypertension, diabetes Type 2 and Cardiovascular diseases.
Cortisol level naturally reaches The peak is approximately at the time of awakening, decreases during the day and again grows a little at the beginning of sleep.
Interestingly, coffee also stimulates the production of cortisol.
The vecrynology doctor Yulia Belyakova explains if you drink coffee after waking up, it can increase the discharge of cortisol, which sometimes affects anxiety or sleep disorders later.
« If a coffee on an empty stomach causes such a symptom complex, then such people optimally drink coffee 1-1.5 hours after waking up, » the doctor adds.
However, in people who regularly drink coffee, The reaction of the body In the form of an increase in cortisol is much weaker. In this case, such increases of cortisol after coffee are temporary.
Coffee can irritate the gastric mucosa, especially when consumed on an empty stomach, contributing to heartburn or discomfort.
What negative impact can coffee in general have
Coffee can also have several other side effects, whether you drink it on an empty stomach or not.
For example, caffeine can cause Addresses, and the genetic features of some people make them particularly sensitive to its action.
This is due to the fact that regular use Coffee is able to change chemical processes in the brain. Therefore, more and more caffeine is needed to achieve the same effect.
Excessive amount of coffee can cause anxietyanxiety, heartbeat and aggravate panic attacks. In some people it also causes headache, migraine and Increasing blood pressure.
Since the action of caffeine can last up to 7 hours in adults, coffee can also break sleepespecially if you use it late in the evening.
At the same time, the coffee has a diuretic effect. This is because it contains caffeine – a natural diuretic.
But since coffee more than 95% is made up of water, its diuretic effect is usually not strong enough to cause Dehydration.
« Caffeine has a slight diuretic effect, and within moderate consumption (up to 3 cups a day) coffee does not cause significant dehydration in healthy people, »-says Endocrinologist Yulia Belyakova.
In fact, people who regularly drink coffee, this effect is even weaker, because the body gradually produces caffeine tolerance.
Eating coffee on an empty stomach can increase the level of stress hormone – cortisol.
How to reduce the negative effect of coffee in the morning
If you have unpleasant symptoms after taking coffee in the morning and you do not want to completely eliminate this drink from the morning routine – you should follow the following tips:
- Hydrate after sleep – don’t forget about A glass of water on an empty stomach.
- Eat breakfast before drinking coffee.
- Wait for the cortisol to decrease naturally (1-1.5 hours after waking) before brewing coffee.
