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Caffeine suppresses appetite, so some people think that by drinking coffee on an empty stomach, they kill two birds with one stone: they save the time needed for a full breakfast and create a false sense of satiety, thanks to which it is possible to deceive the body and reduce the number of calories. At first glance, everything is logical: after drinking coffee "on the go", we not only get a boost of energy, but we can also do without high-calorie products for several hours without feeling discomfort.
This effect is well known to manufacturers who promote the green coffee diet. However, we should not forget that the human body is not a battery, it doesn't care from which source it is "charged", and for trying to deceive nature, we often have to pay the price with bad health and diseases.
Coffee and the digestive system
Coffee contains several organic acids, including malic, oxalic, citric, tartaric, caffeic, and chlorogenic. If there is already some food in the stomach, all these substances will only improve digestion. But they can irritate the mucous membrane of an empty stomach. Of course, there are too few acids in one cup of coffee to harm the internal organs of a healthy person at once. But water sharpens a stone, and if you regularly drink coffee on an empty stomach, then over time, unpleasant sensations, stomach pain, heartburn will appear, and then gastritis will sneak up imperceptibly.
Caffeine, getting into the stomach, provokes the production of gastric juice, which contains hydrochloric acid. It is necessary for digestion of food. However, if there is no food in the stomach, then hydrochloric acid only increases the irritating effect of organic acids contained in coffee. The more caffeine in a drink, the more intensively gastric juice is produced. Accordingly, it is most harmful to drink robusta coffee on an empty stomach.
It is better to brew Arabica in the morning, rather than mixtures with Robusta
It is quite dangerous to follow the advice of some pseudo-nutritionists to replace breakfast with green coffee. In terms of composition, raw grains differ from roasted ones only in the increased concentration of chlorogenic acid. It is an antioxidant and promotes the breakdown of fat cells. But before it gets into the blood, it gets into the stomach, where, like other acids, it irritates the mucous membrane.
Therefore, you must eat 20-30 minutes after drinking green coffee. So that the effect of chlorogenic acid on the mucous membrane of the stomach does not turn out to be destructive, it is not recommended to drink green coffee for weight loss for more than 3-4 weeks in a row.
There are a lot of organic acids in decaffeinated coffee, so you shouldn't drink it on an empty stomach either. There are no organic acids in instant coffee. But in addition to caffeine, which provokes the production of hydrochloric acid, it contains chemicals that negatively affect the mucous membrane of the stomach.
Coffee and hormonal background
Coffee promotes the production of two hormones: cortisol and serotonin. Cortisol is a stress hormone: it promotes awakening, causes a feeling of cheerfulness. But in large quantities, cortisol literally excites the nervous system and provokes anxiety.
Serotonin - the hormone of joy and satisfaction. Under its influence, mental abilities are strengthened.
Scientists who studied the effect of coffee on a person's hormonal background established a pattern:
- if you drink coffee brewed from beans with a low caffeine content (Arabica), more serotonin is produced than cortisol;
- drinking a drink brewed with highly caffeinated coffee (robusta blends) produces more cortisol than serotonin.
Usually, the daily peak of cortisol synthesis in the body is between 6 and 9 in the morning. If during this period you drink coffee on an empty stomach, without snacking on foods that contribute to the production of serotonin, the level of cortisol in the blood will increase to such an extent that blood pressure will rise, there will be a feeling of anxiety, tremors in the hands.
Nature provided a defense mechanism against the "cortisol attack". In people who constantly drink coffee in the morning on an empty stomach, morning production of cortisol gradually stops. Caffeine is the only way to perk up after sleep.
If a person cannot wake up well without a cup of coffee, it means that the hormonal balance in the body is disturbed. To restore it, you will have to give up your favorite drink for a while and torture yourself by fighting morning sleepiness.
"Serotonin" coffee (100% Arabica) with a low caffeine content acts more gently, does not cause such a violent reaction of the body, but it cannot be drunk on an empty stomach because of the high content of organic acids.
Safe rules for drinking coffee
Doctors recommend drinking coffee after breakfast, ideally after an hour/one and a half hours. It is better to drink "serotonin" coffee from 100% Arabica in the morning. If, after all, you had to drink coffee on an empty stomach, in order to bring the body out of a state of stress, you must eat a full breakfast, according to the norms of the BJU.
The best time for coffee is from 9.30 to 10.00 and from 14.00 to 15.00. In the morning, after 9 o'clock, the level of cortisol decreases little by little, and coffee (preferably cappuccino) gives vigor. In the afternoon, between 14.00:15.00 and XNUMX:XNUMX, the cortisol level is at a minimum, so a cup of coffee will be very appropriate and will help maintain performance until the end of the working day.
Drinking coffee on an empty stomach is harmful even to healthy people, and in some diseases it can provoke an exacerbation.
It is strictly forbidden to drink coffee on an empty stomach when:
- digestive disorders, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- gallstone disease and a distant gall bladder;
- diabetes and other diseases of the endocrine system;
- kidney diseases
