A nutrition specialist is warning against a common morning coffee habit, saying it could be doing more harm than good. Anyone who drinks a cup of coffee before doing anything else in the morning has been given an important message about drinking the popular hot beverage so soon after waking up.
Kyle Crowley, a nutrition specialist at Protein Works, claims that skipping breakfast and reaching for an immediate morning coffee could cause issues you may not be aware of. He said: "For many people, skipping breakfast goes hand in hand with drinking a coffee straight after waking up.
"But having caffeine on an empty stomach can trigger two major issues - an unnatural spike in cortisol and digestive irritation. When you wake up, your body naturally experiences a cortisol peak, which is the body's primary stress and alertness hormone.
"Pouring caffeine into an empty stomach first thing amplifies this spike. Instead of giving you clean energy, it often leads to jitteriness, anxiety, and a severe mid-morning slump a few hours later. In addition, caffeine stimulates stomach acid production, which can cause heartburn or acid reflux when there's no food present to absorb it."
Three ways to protect your energy
For those who prefer to skip breakfast, Kyle claims making three adjustments can help to keep energy steady without ditching coffee. First, he recommends following a 90-minute caffeine rule.
He claims: "Try to delay your first cup of coffee by 60 to 90 minutes after waking. This allows your natural cortisol peak to decline, so caffeine works with your circadian rhythm rather than forcing an artificial spike."
Hydrate with 500ml of water first. Kyle says: "Drink half a litre of water before caffeine to hydrate your body after sleep and buffer your stomach lining against raw acidity."
Prioritise protein when you're ready to eat. "If you skip breakfast, your first meal of the day becomes twice as important," Kyle explains. "When you do sit down to eat, avoid quick, refined carbohydrates that can trigger blood sugar spikes.
"Instead, focus on protein-dense, fibre-rich meals or nutritionally complete meal replacement shakes if you're busy or on the go. Protein and complex nutrients help stabilise your blood sugar, protect muscle health, and stop the late afternoon sugar cravings that can be common for breakfast skippers."
Important considerations
While coffee stimulates the production of stomach acid, research generally finds no strong link between drinking coffee on an empty stomach and digestive issues in most healthy people. However, people with existing sensitivities, acid reflux, or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may find that coffee on an empty stomach aggravates their symptoms.
Your cortisol levels naturally experience a sharp surge known as the cortisol awakening response (CAR). This usually peaks 30 to 60 minutes after waking, regardless of whether you drink coffee.
Scientific studies confirm that regular daily caffeine consumers build up a tolerance that significantly blunts the cortisol spike from their morning cup, though the response is not always completely eliminated and can still occur with caffeine consumed later in the day.
