Do you skip breakfast in favour of a coffee on the go? Then you’re not alone — as one in five of us regularly go without anything but a caffeine hit until lunch.
However experts warn the habit might leave you battling an uncomfortable health problem.
Coffee, in addition to helping you feel less tired and more alert, also affects the balance of stomach acid levels.
As a result, drinking it without any food can trigger agonising indigestion and heartburn.
Experts say this can be easily solved, not by avoiding caffeine altogether, but by indulging in some food alongside your morning brew.
Experts say the popular drink hits the stomach with a flow of acid which can cause agonising indigestion and heartburn
Caffeine stimulates the production of the hormone gastrin, which is responsible for our gastric acid production
Coffee is a naturally acidic drink which can irritate the lining of your stomach — particularly if you drink it on an empty stomach.
‘Without food to buffer the acid, your stomach may respond by producing even more acid causing heartburn,’ Rob Hobson, registered nutritionist at Healthspan and author of Unprocess Your Life, told MailOnline.
There are several components to coffee that can increase the levels of acidity in our stomachs.
Caffeine stimulates the production of the hormone gastrin, which is responsible for our gastric acid production, Boston-based gastroenterologist Dr Supriya Rao told Huffington Post.
Although this helps kick start the process of digestion, it also adds acidity to the stomach.
Plant-based compounds known as phenols, which are also abundant in coffee, also contribute to the gut’s level of acidity.
‘Coffee has a pH level of about 5 while our gastric acid boasts a pH of about 2, making the latter more acidic,’ Dr Rao added. As a result, our stomachs should be able to handle the acid that drinking coffee causes.
Experts say this discomfort can be easily solved, not by avoiding caffeine altogether, but by indulging in some food alongside your morning brew
But it’s not just the rising levels of acidity that cause upper abdominal pain and nausea.
Mr Hobson explains that the caffeine in coffee can relax the lower oesophageal sphincter, the valve that separates the stomach from the oesophagus.
‘When this valve relaxes, it allows stomach acid to flow more easily back into the oesophagus, causing the burning sensation commonly associated with heartburn,’ he said.
He added: ‘Coffee also stimulates stomach acid production, which is more marked when consumed on an empty stomach.’
This theory has also been proven true by a few studies, including one published in the Library of Medicine in 2022.
According to the survey, coffee may contribute to the relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter, ‘allowing food to escape into the esophagus and cause heartburn.’
The effects can vary from person to person. For some people the higher levels of gastric acid caused by drinking coffee without food, won’t cause any problems, but for others it leads to discomfort.
If you do suffer from heartburn, Mr Hobson suggests avoiding coffee and other triggers like citrus fruits, chocolate, and mint, as although eating food with coffee can help this depends on the type of food.
‘Choosing lighter meals, can also help reduce stomach acid and lower the risk of heartburn as heavy, fatty foods take longer to digest meaning more acid is produced,’ he said.
He suggests eating toast, banana, nuts, rice cakes or wholegrain crackers, which are better choices to pair with coffee.
‘It’s also important to note that drinking coffee with food, similar to tea, can interfere with the absorption of certain nutrients like iron,’ he added.
‘I would suggest avoiding coffee if you regularly suffer with get heartburn but if it is occasional then it may be better to drink your coffee with a light snack rather than a full meal, especially if consumed between meals.’
