A black coffee, and the day begins. For many, it is the essential morning ritual. However, swallowing your first fasting coffee could be a trap for the organization, warn several experts. If this gesture apparently awakens, it could well deregulate your hormones, your digestion and even promote weight gain. More and more nutritionists and doctors alert: consuming coffee without having eaten can have undesirable effects. Lindsey Schmidt, doctor of chiropractic, explains on Instagram: “Drinking chest coffee can unbalance your cortisol level, impact your nervous system, disturb your intestinal microbiota and cause symptoms like bloating, weight gain or increased anxiety“.
Coffee and hormones: a fragile balance
Coffee stimulates the secretion of cortisol, the stress hormone, already naturally raised in the morning. Alexandra Murcier, dietician-nutritionist, specifies: “Cortisol is hyperglycemic: it increases blood sugar levels, which can promote weight gain and accentuate chronic stress“. Repeated on an empty stomach can also disrupt sleep, and accentuate fatigue over time.
Digestion and acidity: a cocktail difficult to swallow
The other pitfall of the morning coffee on an empty stomach concerns the stomach. The acidity of the drink can worsen existing digestive disorders, such as gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) or gastric acidity. What transform a gesture supposed to give energy into discomfort from the start of the day.
What alternatives for a gentle awakening?
Good news, there is no question of definitively giving up your coffee. Specialists simply recommend shift it after breakfast, in order to limit its impact. Those who want to vary can turn to:
- A light, less aggressive tea for the stomach;
- Infusions;
- Or a decaffeinated coffee obtained without chemical solvents.