Is it dangerous to drink coffee on empty stomach?

Making a cup of coffee first thing in the morning is something that many people love doing, but might it be raising your risk of digestive problems?

While some individuals on TikTok and other social media platforms advocate against consuming coffee or any other caffeinated beverage before breakfast, others include it as a crucial part of their daily ritual.

Everybody reacts to coffee differently. Drinking it on an empty stomach can cause indigestion or other mild discomforts in sensitive individuals, according to specialists.

However, according to Bonnie Jortberg, PhD, RD, a nutritional scientist and associate professor of family medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, the idea that consuming coffee before breakfast is harmful is often untrue.

“Most people should not have an issue with drinking coffee on an empty stomach other than maybe having a little bit of extra stomach acid,” Jortberg told Health.

Coffee can have a variety of impacts on the digestive system and the body as a whole, even if each person is affected differently by the beverage.

The main attraction for coffee drinkers in the morning is its caffeine content, yet some individuals may get acid reflux or indigestion as a result of it.

“The caffeine itself can cause loosening of the lower esophageal, or a relaxing of the lower esophageal sphincter, which is the doorway between the esophagus and stomach,” Harmony Allison, MD, assistant professor of gastroenterology at Tufts Medical Center, told Health.

"Not only does caffeine weaken the barrier between the esophagus and the stomach, but coffee stimulates the production of stomach acid," Jortberg added.