Caffeine can disrupt your hormonal cascade. Caffeine itself can cause your body to produce extra cortisol. And while cortisol isn't always bad (the steroid hormone helps maintain healthy blood pressure levels and regulates blood sugar), high cortisol levels can affect your body's ability to regulate inflammation.
In fact, if you're trying to balance your hormones, caffeine may be a no-go. Research shows that it can increase estrogen levels. While caffeine is known to give you a quick energy boost, it can also disrupt your hormones, particularly estrogen levels.
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, it's safe for most women to drink three to five cups of coffee a day with a maximum intake of 400 milligrams of caffeine. (Caffeine content can vary depending on the type of coffee, but an average 8-ounce cup has 95 milligrams.)
The way caffeine works on your brain is that it inhibits a natural neurotransmitter called adenosine (a naturally calming hormone), which naturally builds up throughout the day, making you feel tired as the day progresses.
Coffee will not cause estrogen dominance, but can contribute to the problem. Estrogen dominance usually means there is more estrogen in the body than the appropriate amount of progesterone. Women with estrogen dominance usually have a normal amount of estrogen, but insufficient progesterone for that amount.
Caffeine in dietary doses increases both adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and cortisol secretion in humans (15). Caffeine's effect on glucocorticoid regulation therefore has the potential to alter circadian rhythms and to interact with stress reactions.
One study showed that higher caffeine consumption was associated with higher estrogen levels for Asian women. However, the exact reverse effect was found for white women—higher caffeine intake was associated with lower estrogen levels.
Caffeine is a stimulant, which means it's not ideal for promoting quality sleep. Removing it from your day keeps cortisol and melatonin at their natural rhythms, which results in better sleep and less fatigue.
“It is easy to conclude that regular consumption of caffeine entails more demerits than benefits. The disturbances in the blood sugar levels due to caffeine's stress response can also result in weight gain, insulin resistance, substance dependency, and other lifestyle disorders” explains the nutritionist.
Usually, coffee feels good in the short term, but too much of it can backfire. Since coffee inhibits the absorption of adenosine (a hormone that calms the body), it makes you alert and feel awake. It can also increase the production of cortisol, the stress hormone, which can gear you up for the task at hand.
Several studies have shown that caffeine generally increases our cortisol levels (3-5). Cortisol, while often portrayed as “bad,” is actually quite an important hormone, just in the right quantities. This stress hormone is a major player in energy balance and our levels of cortisol change throughout the day (4,6).
Drinking coffee can boost your happy hormones
Coffee contains caffeine, which is a stimulant that can boost mood and energy levels. The caffeine in coffee works by increasing the levels of certain chemicals in the brain, such as dopamine and norepinephrine, which can lead to feelings of happiness and euphoria.
Elevated estrogen levels in women have been linked to conditions such as polyps, fibroids, PCOS, endometriosis pain, and ovarian tumors [1]. Other conditions associated with high estrogen levels include dementia, heart disease, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, insulin resistance, and uterine cancer [4,6].
Symptoms of low estrogen can include: Hot flashes, flushes, and night sweats are the most common symptoms of low estrogen. At times, blood rushes to your skin's surface. This can give you a feeling of warmth (hot flash).
Green tea's estrogen reduction activity may result from tea polyphenols inhibiting aromatase, the key enzyme converting androgens to estrone or estradiol21.
In terms of lowering estrogen levels, there is no surefire evidence that any particular drink can help women balance or lower their hormone levels. In saying that, research from the U.S. National Institutes of Health that drinking green tea daily could be linked to lower levels of estrogen in post-menopausal women.
Alcohol like bourbon, wine, and beer contain phytoestrogens (estrogen-mimicking substances), which can raise your estrogen levels, worsening PCOS, endometriosis, and fibroid symptoms.
In the brain, caffeine stimulates the release of dopamine, which is another neurotransmitter. Dopamine is responsible for feelings of euphoria. Another reason is that coffee contains antioxidants.
Soy milk and yogurt are excellent foods high in estrogen when you want to boost your body's estrogen levels naturally. These soy-based foods are loaded with protein and calcium, which is crucial for optimal bone health and preventing osteoporosis in women.
Caffeine itself doesn't necessarily cause adrenal fatigue, but many of the changes our bodies undergo when we use a lot of caffeine can put a strain on our adrenals. If we substitute a cup of coffee for sleep or for a nutritious meal, it can undermine our adrenal health.