You might want to have a snack handy.
Christina Manian, RDN, is a registered dietitian and sustainable food systems professional.
Here are some other science-backed benefits to it, beyond helping to wake you up.
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Aids Digestion
Coffee is also known to help aid digestion.
Drinking coffee can help move things along through your stomach and intestinal tract.
The result: You go to the bathroom more.
Science says coffee can seriously boost your moodand reverse the effects of sleep deprivation on your mood.
Causes Stomach Aches
Drinking coffee with no food in your stomach can lead to a stomach ache.
Coffee can stimulate the production of stomach acid, which might cause stomach upset or acid reflux [i.e.
heartburn] symptoms, says Christina Manian, RDN.
Increases Stress Levels
Consuming coffee on an empty stomach might lead to feelings of stress.
That’s because coffee can also stimulate cortisol production, a stress hormone in the body.
That’s not ideal, especially if the morning is already a stressful time for you.
Manian recommends having asmall snackwith your coffee, even if you’re not quiteready for breakfast.
This helps give the stomach acid created by coffee some food to digest.
These will have less negative effects on you than a strong cup of a coffee.
It’s also worth being mindful ofsweetenersin your coffee, which can spike your blood sugar, i.e.
Still, all of those options will cause a blood sugar spike.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, coffee can cause stomach discomfort in some people.
That’s due to the caffeine and acids that coffee contains.
They can irritate the stomach lining and lead to acid reflux, heartburn, and indigestion.
Coffee can also exacerbate gastrointestinal conditions.
Coffee affects the body mostly because of its high caffeine content.
Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, which can fight fatigue and increase focus.
In doing so, it may temporarily raise your heart rate and blood pressure.
In general, caffeine takes about 15 to 120 minutes after consumption to kick in.
But 99 percent is absorbed within 45 minutes of ingestion.
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