You would be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t start their day with a cup of coffee – but do they do it on an empty stomach?
New research from the National Centre for Biotechnology Information has looked at the impact of coffee (including decaffeinated) on your stomach lining. Ultimately, it found that the habit of drinking coffee on an empty stomach is damaging to your health – especially if you are susceptible to bloating.
The study published from the results explained that coffee triggers an increase in stomach acid. This causes symptoms such as bloating, indigestion and heartburn.
Further, it was found that drinking coffee before your breakfast can “…increase the amount of water you pass and can potentially create symptoms of dehydration. It can affect your pulse, causing an irregular heartbeat by putting pressure on the heart and it can adversely affect your blood pressure,” as was explained by PushDoctor chief medical officer Dr Adam Simon.
Finally, feeding your body caffeine before your breakfast can upset your natural body clock. Scientists have found that the body releases its highest levels of cortisol – a hormone to wake you up, dictate your metabolism and immune response, cholesterol levels, and more – between 8am and 9am. By ingesting caffeine before then, your body could begin decreasing this hormone’s production.
