FOR most people, a steaming hot cup of coffee in the morning is part of their daily routines.
But one expert has warned against the ritual – advising that doing this could mess with your hormones.
Taking to TikTok, nutritional therapist Olivia Hedlund said consuming the beverage on an empty stomach can push your body into high stress mode.
Olivia, who is a qualified nutritional therapy practitioner at Livingwell, in Australia explained: “You are messing with your hormones. Coffee is not only acidic, so it’s hard on our stomach in the morning.
“But it literally causes our body to go into a stress response to shoot out cortisol and to put us in a sort of fight or flight state.
“That’s why some people get jittery when they drink coffee on an empty stomach in the morning.”
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The guru said that this jittery feeling, is also why some people feel like they can conquer the world after a cup of joe.
She added: “Even though it feels really good, it’s still really really hard on your body, especially if you’re a woman.”
Recalling her own experiences with coffee, Olivia said she used to drink multiple cups of it on an empty stomach.
“I would feel like I was on top of the world and then I would have a bunch of hormonal acne and wonder why.
“It’s because your body is stressed out.”
But what if you still need your morning coffee? Olivia says there is a solution.
“Have something small before you have a coffee – make it your goal. I promise you will notice a difference if you’re struggling with hormone imbalances or even gut issues,” she added.
Previous studies have found that coffee affects men and women differently.
A study of 21,803 Norwegians showed certain types of coffee could be worse for your heart – and the risk is different for men and women.
The study found that drinking espresso-based coffee — for example Americanos and flat whites — led to an increase in cholesterol in men that was almost double the increase seen in women.
Men would be better off choosing a filter coffee.
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Coffee contains oily compounds known as diterpenes — mainly cafestol and kahweol, which are known to raise cholesterol.
High cholesterol, mainly caused by eating fatty foods, obesity, smoking, drinking and a lack of exercise, can block blood vessels and trigger a stroke or heart disease.
