Is Drinking Coffee on an Empty Stomach OK?

Drinking coffee on an empty stomach may be your morning ritual, but is sipping caffeinated bean juice the best thing for your belly (and brain) without food? If you’ve been consuming coffee as soon as you roll out of bed (or on an empty stomach throughout the day), you may notice some tummy aches and extra stress. While most people can tolerate coffee on an empty stomach, we asked an expert for some considerations to keep in mind.

Coffee Nutritional Information

While drinking coffee on an empty stomach may cause discomfort for some people, there are still nutrients in coffee that give it some health benefits. Here's a look at what's inside one cup (eight ounces) of coffee brewed with tap water.

• Water - 236 grams
• Energy - 2.37 kcal
• Protein - 0.284 grams
• Fat - 0.047 grams
• Calcium - 4.74 milligrams
• Iron - 0.024 milligrams
• Magnesium - 7.11 milligrams
• Phosphorus - 7.11 milligrams
• Potassium - 116 milligrams
• Sodium - 4.74 milligrams
• Zinc - 0.047 milligrams
• Copper - 0.005 milligrams
• Vitamins B, E, and K

Despite the vitamins and minerals that are healthy for you, however, drinking too much coffee can have dangerous side effects. For healthy adults, about 400 milligrams a day (or about four to five cups of coffee) is considered to be a safe amount of coffee per day.

Benefits of Drinking Coffee

While the taste and smell of coffee may be what lures you out of bed in the morning (along with that 9 a.m. Zoom meeting or way-too-early school bus pickup route), coffee can also help get your day started. Here are some other science-backed benefits to it, beyond helping to wake you up.

Improved Focus

“Coffee has been shown to increase concentration levels, and, in the research, I haven't seen that be altered by whether or not you've eaten beforehand,” Manian says. 

Aids Digestion

Coffee is also known to help aid digestion. Drinking coffee can help move things along through your stomach and intestinal tract. More specifically, it affects the acid production in your stomach, your bile and pancreatic secretion, and your colon motility. The result: You go to the bathroom more.

Boosts Mood

If you've ever heard anyone say they need coffee before they can talk (or if you've ever said it yourself), it's not just a thing to say. Science says coffee can seriously boost your mood—and reverse the effects of sleep deprivation on your mood. In fact, studies show that a dose of about 200 to 250 milligrams of caffeine—such as in a cup of coffee—can elevate the mood, and the effects can last for up to three hours.

Reasons to Eat Before Drinking Coffee

While there are plenty of health benefits to drinking coffee, when you drink it can have an effect on you. You may be tempted to reach for a cup of coffee first thing in the morning, but drinking coffee on an empty stomach isn't necessarily the best idea for everyone—although some people can certainly tolerate it.

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. "While some cortisol is important for regulation of blood sugar, blood pressure, and metabolism, excessive amounts over long periods of time can lead to hypertension, unregulated blood sugar levels potentially leading to diabetes, and loss of bone density," Manian adds. That's not ideal, especially if the morning is already a stressful time for you.

Induces Jitters

Early birds may be relaxed at sunrise, but may also find that sipping coffee before eating can cause jitters. “However, many first-thing coffee drinkers don't experience jitteriness or GI symptoms, so it's important to listen to your body,” Manian assures.

Coffee Consumption Considerations

Of course, it's important to be mindful of how much coffee you consume and when. But it’s ultimately a personal choice to decide how and when you want to consume that first cup of the day. Manian recommends having a small snack with your coffee, even if you're not quite ready for breakfast. This helps give the stomach acid created by coffee some food to digest. 

It's also worth being mindful of sweeteners in your coffee, which can spike your blood sugar, i.e. cause a sugar rush, that will eventually result in a crash and leave you feeling tired after your first cup (some may be familiar with the morning brew, sweeten, repeat cycle). However, the effects of that sweetener in your coffee can be mitigated by what you consume before or with your cup of java, Manian points out, especially if that meal or snack has fiber, protein, or healthy fats. She suggests a piece of fruit, a hard-boiled egg, toast with peanut butter or avocado, yogurt with fruit or granola, applesauce, a handful of nuts, or a handful of trail mix.

If you’re aiming for optimum health via your coffee routine, Manian says that “black [coffee] is preferable, but low-fat dairy or alt dairy is also totally fine. When it comes to sweeteners, honey or maple syrup will offer more benefits than cane sugar, as that is a well-known pro-inflammatory agent in the body. Still, all of those options will cause a blood sugar spike.” Alternative sweeteners also exist, such as aspartame, but have been correlated to negative health impacts, so Manian steers clear. If sweetness is your thing, you can also look for tasting notes on whole bean coffees. Beans described with notes of “caramel,” “chocolate,” or “honey” may be more to your liking than more acidic beans, and require less sweetener when brewed.