Can Coffee Raise Cortisol Levels Too Much?
Since coffee is known to stimulate cortisol production, a lot of people have started to make a connection between drinking coffee on an empty stomach and high levels of the hormone. While coffee does promote the production of the hormone, research has shown that the level does not rise as high as some people may make it seem.
In people who drink coffee daily, the production is very low, and sometimes there are even zero signs of cortisol production due to the body being used to the coffee intake. Moreover, none of the studies made on the matter have managed to link drinking coffee on an empty stomach with a high production of cortisol. If anything, they uncovered that even in people who do not drink coffee on a regular basis, the increased production of cortisol is only temporary.
Since the peak in the production is so small, the chance that drinking coffee on an empty stomach will raise the production of the hormone so high that it would cause long-term health issues and complications are really limited. What’s more, if you think you are experiencing side effects of high cortisol levels, it is more likely that they have been produced by another illness, like Cushing syndrome, and definitely not as a direct result of your coffee-drinking habits.
If you enjoy coffee but want to make sure you don’t overdo it with caffeine, make sure you brew an amazing cup of coffee and limit the intake to only two cups max. Learn how to brew the best cup by taking notes from this book!
57 thoughts on “Drinking Coffee on an Empty Stomach: 3 Surprising Things That Can Happen”
I drink 1 cup and then eat. I find it does not affect me in any way.
I have a sensitive stomach need toast a banana something with my coffee. Otherwise I have bad stomach issues
one cup of coffee without food wakes me up and gets me going.
I drink a lg coffee in the morning first thing with 1/4 teaspoon of ginger, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 tablespoon cacao and 1 scoop vital proteins in it. Other than making me gabby I don’t have any issues with it. then I eat a meal about 4/5 hr. later.
What is gabby?
That would mean it makes her talk alot
Gabby is being talkative. Remember the great actor “Gabby Hayes”, he earned the nickname “Gabby” due to his signature, fast-talking and often comically verbose character traits in his films. Us Baby Boomers, who grew up watching him on the big screen, loved him! Check him out!
Talkative
Talkative
Chatty, talkative
Makes her talk a lot.
I drink one cup of coffee every morning on an empty stomach. Doesn’t seem to cause any problems.
Lynne
Have you loss any weight doing this?
I drink a 12 cup pot daily. I add milk/creamer to it. I never had any issues. I have done this for many many years. My health is better then most people My age.
I do the same, healthier than most my age also
Same here, but I have switched to decaf. I’m 70 & Dr recommended the switch years ago. Even without the caffeine I’m awake & ready to go. Thought it was interesting that “it is a mood booster, aids us when doing physical exercises or activities, and even improves brain function, in addition to the weight loss properties and protection from certain types of illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s, type 2 diabetes, and even heart disease”
Yes, every morning I perk my coffee on the stove (the old fashioned way).I am very fond of my own coffee. It seems to have done no harm on an empty stomach…I feel rather full, but I eat a small meal later.
I have been a coffee drinker for years. I drink it every morning about three or four cups prior to having breakfast. At 81 coffee is definitely my go to drink. I usually prepare the coffee pot the night before so I can turn it on first thing in the morning.
I drink coffee and find the best way is in the morning, black. It’s a wonderful way to start my day. It actually promotes my first bowel movement. I usually drink the dark roasts, like Italian roast from a Keurig pod. It smells wonderful and robust.
Coffee used to bother my stomach but itr was cuz I had Crohn’s disease as of now It.no longer bothers my stomach anymore either way empty stomach or not I generally drink it on an empty stomach
As a migraine sufferer, I have found that drinking coffee on an empty stomach can trigger those types of headaches.
According to my physician, there is a definite link with caffeine and acid reflux. Now sure if it makes a difference when you drink. But avoiding caffeine is highly recommended for people with reflux and even IBS. I am not a doctor I only know what I have been told. I mostly drink a mixture of 80% decaf, with 20% Colombian., sometimes on an empty stomach and other times after a meal. Either way, I have no intention of quitting, at least not right now. 😛
I have had acid reflux for years. I’ve been on medication for it and drink coffee all the time, with no issues.
I am 80 years old and drinking COFFEE on a empty stomach all my life and I am in excellent health
Well I am 79 and drink a pot of black coffee all day long. Never have a problem and sleep like a baby.
That sounds like a great endorsement to me!
3 large freshly ground tablespoons of organic fair trade coffee in a stainless steel insulated French press….1.5 tablespoon organic heavy whipping cream, 1.5 tablespoons of honey from my bees.
Been doing it every morning the same way for 25+ years.
Sounds delicious 😋!
When adding honey, never touch the honey with silver spoon, it destroys enzymes and other … . Always use wood or plastic spoon.
🤔👍👍
…Everyone in the world who has ever consumed a cup of coffee knows that the number one effect on most consumers is that 30 minutes into enjoying the cup of coffee…you have to pee. For those of us old enough to know…as you age…the effect of the coffee / caffeine can excite your bladder for hours. I get why someone would want to consume coffee, as it does get your motor running…and in my parents era, it certainly burned off that hangover from the night before. However, I drink coffee….(four sugars, four creams…or preferably…chilled containers of cream and sugar dispensers)…because it tastes great. But I plan my coffee drinking to insure I will be near a restroom…poste haste! Ha! Ha! Ha!
You are actually drinking coffee flavored syrup with that much sugar your kidneys are trying to save your life every trip to the bathroom
I have been drinking coffee on an empty stomach for over 50 years and have never had a problem with it. I drink 2 large cups every morning.
1 cup of coffee in a.m ….I sip followed by bread, cookies ….. a stimulant for bowel movemet
I am also 81 years of age and you are right!
Share with us your routine of a healthy life Judith
I drink coffee in the morning but find that if I don’t eat something first I become nauseated so I now have a slice of toast before drinking coffee!
When in high school, I had migraine headaches. I noticed that whenever I started drinking hot, strong black coffee, they went away. I am now 80 and still drink a lot of black coffee. Out of concern, my son advised me that he wanted me to limit my consumption to two (2) cups a day. In my best effort to comply, I went out and bought a 28 oz. coffee cup. That sort of works but sometimes I still go for a third or fourth cup. . . . I drink it first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. No plans or reason to stop. I require no maintenance meds and still work full time with enough energy to put younger people well behind.. All blood work is excellent. Charter member of the world’s largest fraternity: Getta-cuppa-coffee . . .
Amen to that…Nothing wrong with drinking lots of Coffee….
Dennis, does drinking coffee at night not interfere with your sleep?
I drink my coffee in the morning on an empty stomach with an tsp unsweetened Hazelnut Creamer, 1 scoop of Collagen and 1 ounce of Unsweetened Almond Milk plus 3 packets of sweet and low. I don’t have any problems and seem to do well…
I drink coffee only when I feel for it
I drink Folgers half and half coffee with a flavored creamer on an empty stomach and have been doing this for about a year. Sometimes, I will eat a banana too in the am. No health issues from drinking coffee on an empty stomach. It keeps me full until lunchtime!
I drink one cup of coffee then eat no problems over here
I noticed that if I drink coffee first in the morning and without any food I get stomach aches. However, with food I’m good.
I’m going to be 85 here in a couple of months and I’ve been drinking coffee since I was little, probably 4 or 5 yrs old. My grandmothers next door neighbor used to have little coffee parties for the neighborhood kids. We had little kid sized cups and she’d add sugar and milk. As an adult I drink my coffee black and when I was working drank at minimum a pot a day. I’ve had very few headaches in my life. No stomach issues until I somehow managed to give myself a hiatal hernia. Coffee still doesn’t bother me. I can drink a cup just before I go to bed and sleep like a baby. Love, love, love my coffee.
I drink about two cup of Black Silk every morning and one in the evening. I just like the taste. No problems here.
Yes I drink coffee, morning and evening. And I do drink it on an empty stomach. It’s a habit and I have been doing it for years.
I have enjoyed a cup of black coffee every morning for many years and have had no problems. That first sip, for me, is still an ‘awe’ moment‼️ ☕️ that tastes so good!
i drink aabout a 12 cup pot a day, weak with 2 percent milk. i will be 85 soon and been doing this all my life.when i was about four or so,my granddaddy would fix me coffee in a saucer with sugar on it, and i ate it with a spoon, while he drank his. my daddy drank about a pot a day , weak also. i love coffee and make a cup before i go to bed, so if i wake up and can’t sleep i have my cup ready. it is not fresh but makes me sleepy, and i go back to bed and sleep like a baby. i never get headaches or stomach aches from it. i will always have coffee first thing in the morning. i love ,love coffee. my memories with my family,always include coffee.
I drink 2 bottles of water 1st, 30 mins later I drink 1 large cup of coffee, 30 mins later I eat 3 eggs ova easy. I’m up at 6:15 am Monday thru Friday. Sat and Sunday Varies
I love my coffee a little French vanilla creamer and I’m good, I drink it all day and even right up to when I go to bed , no stomach issues and no trouble sleeping
I have my morning pills with my coffee because I have acid reflux other than that I don’t usually have time to eat until about 3 hours later
I’m so surprised at how many say they drink coffee all day, or some morning & again at night, & have no trouble sleeping! I always thought one of the reasons for drinking coffee in the morning was to perk you up & get you alert & moving into your day. Bright eyed & bushy tailed!😀
I avoid coffee most of my youth (20-40) because of stomach ulcers. When ulcers was successful treated, I started to drink black coffee every morning because I read, coffee has lots of health benefits. Anyway, more than decade past, my ulcer had not came back. My millennial bosses said, my brain is as sharp as a 20 year old. I think it’s because of the coffee. Because many of my peers (60-70+,are slow and have difficulty understanding new concept). So drink up..
I drink a cup 4-5 days and sometimes it upsets my system awful but it also regulates my bowels depending on the strength of the coffee.
Has anyone who has IBS found a coffee that does not cause stomach cramps? I miss my coffee but can’t drink it anymore even decaf.