Drinking coffee increases cortisol. What should coffee addicts do?

Author: Xue Qingxin, registered dietitian

Reviewer: Zhang Yu, researcher at Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Recently, the topic of "Long-term coffee drinking leads to high cortisol" has become a hot search on Weibo, attracting a lot of attention. This surprised many coffee lovers, and some even said they were "bewildered" and didn't know what cortisol was.

Don’t panic! This article will tell you all about coffee and cortisol, and will also give you some tips at the end.

1. What is cortisol?

Cortisol is a stress hormone, and its secretion is closely related to an individual's stress. Stress and certain emotional fluctuations will successfully activate the medial prefrontal cortex and related brain areas, stimulating the secretion of cortisol.

Figure 1 Image cited from reference [1]

Note: HPA. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

When we feel stressed, our heart rate and blood pressure will increase, and in this process, the adrenal cortex will secrete more glucocorticoids.

Cortisol is the main glucocorticoid in humans. Generally speaking, cortisol levels reach their peak within 10 minutes after a person feels stressed.

So, what is the use of increased cortisol? Of course, it relieves stress! Normal cortisol secretion can relieve negative emotions caused by stress, calm the mood, reduce anxiety and fear, and is beneficial to mental health.

2. What are the “side effects” of elevated cortisol?

Although cortisol can help us relieve anxiety and tension, it also has some "side effects".

(1) Cortisol increases the size and number of fat cells and is positively correlated with abdominal fat. In other words, elevated cortisol makes it easier for fat to accumulate in the abdomen, making it more difficult to “reduce your belly.” In addition, higher cortisol levels also reduce insulin secretion, which is not conducive to blood sugar control.

(2) Cortisol stimulates appetite, making us more inclined to choose high-sugar, high-fat, and high-calorie foods, which are the "natural enemies" of weight loss!

3. Does drinking coffee increase cortisol?

Yes!

In 2005, a study published in the American Psychosomatic Association showed that caffeine promotes the secretion of cortisol in the body. However, for people who drink coffee regularly, the degree of cortisol increase will be lower than when they first start drinking coffee.

In fact, for people who are under less stress on a daily basis, the impact of drinking coffee on the increase in cortisol is not significant, so there is no need to worry.

Although drinking coffee will increase cortisol levels, coffee also brings some benefits to the body, such as refreshing the mind, improving athletic performance and endurance, preventing type 2 diabetes, preventing Parkinson's disease, and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Since drinking coffee can bring so many benefits to the body, there is no need to quit coffee. You just need to master some techniques to reduce the impact of increased cortisol on your body.

(1) Adjust the time to drink coffee : Many people are used to drinking a cup of coffee in the morning. In fact, the best time to drink coffee is 1 to 2 hours after waking up. Because usually in the morning, the cortisol level in the human body gradually increases, which can make us wake up slowly; around 8:30 in the morning, the cortisol level in the body will reach its peak; then it will gradually decrease, and there will be a little fluctuation in the afternoon, and it will rise slightly; then it will gradually decrease again, reaching the lowest level at midnight; and it will gradually rise again in the second half of the night. Therefore, 9:30 in the morning to 11:00 in the afternoon is a more suitable time to drink coffee.

(2) Control the amount of coffee you drink : China's "Scientific Consensus on Coffee and Health" recommends that the average adult's daily caffeine intake should be controlled within 400 mg, equivalent to no more than 4 cups of pure coffee (150 ml/cup). If it is a small bag of 1.8-2.0g instant coffee, no more than 5 bags should be consumed per day.

(3) Eat more foods rich in γ-aminobutyric acid : Studies have shown that γ-aminobutyric acid can reduce the production of cortisol, while foods rich in vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folic acid and taurine can promote the secretion of γ-aminobutyric acid. Therefore, you can eat more foods rich in these nutrients. Including: ① Fermented dairy products, brown rice sprouts, jackfruit kernels, barley and beans can provide us with γ-aminobutyric acid; ② Scallops, clams, oysters, chicken legs, pork tenderloin, beef, etc. can supplement taurine; ③ The combination of coarse and fine staple foods and increasing the intake of whole grains can supplement us with vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and other B vitamins; ④ Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, such as spinach, garlic sprouts, rapeseed, coriander, fennel, amaranth, oranges, etc. can supplement folic acid.

(4) Stay up late less and ensure good sleep quality : Studies have shown that individuals who are sleep deprived will have higher cortisol levels. Short sleep time and poor sleep quality will also lead to higher cortisol levels. Therefore, if you don’t want your cortisol levels to continue to rise, don’t stay up late! Go to bed early, preferably before 23:00 at night, and get enough sleep for 7 to 8 hours.

(5) Maintain a good mood: Adjust your mood in time and reduce stress to reduce the secretion of cortisol.

To sum up, coffee lovers don’t have to worry too much about elevated cortisol levels. Maintaining a good mood, eating a balanced diet, regulating emotions in time, and not putting too much pressure on yourself are the keys to maintaining cortisol at a healthy level.

References

[1] Meng Yao, Chen Lirong, Zhou Renlai. Evidence and mechanism of cortisol secretion in relieving negative emotions[J]. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, 2019, 27(1): 28-32.

[2]Anagnostis P, Athyros VG, Tziomalos K, et al. Clinical review: The pathogenetic role of cortisol in the metabolic syndrome: a hypothesis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2009, 94(8):2692-2701.

[3]Lovallo WR, Whitsett TL, al'Absi M, et al. Caffeine stimulation of cortisol secretion across the waking hours in relation to caffeine intake levels. Psychosom Med, 2005, 67(5):734-739.

[4]Chan S, Debono M. Replication of cortisol circadian rhythm: new advances in hydrocortisone replacement therapy.Ther Adv Endocrinol Metab, 2010, 1(3):129-138.

[5]https://www.thorne.com/take-5-daily/article/why-you-should-reconsider-that-morning-cup-of-coffee

[6]https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00217-016-2772-3