Does the ‘cortisol cocktail' work for stress relief? An expert explains
Food & healthFacebookTweetLink
Follow
(CNN) — If you've spent time on TikTok or Instagram lately, chances are the 'cortisol cocktail' trending as the latest wellness hack has appeared in your feed. This colorful, nonalcoholic drink typically contains a mix of coconut water, citrus juice and certain salts. Also called an 'adrenal cocktail,' it has amassed millions of views, with influencers claiming it can lower stress hormones, boost energy and balance your body's adrenal function.
Almost half of Americans (49%) report frequent bouts of stress, and the number of people in the United States who are feeling stressed has been rising for the past two decades, according to a 2024 Gallup survey. In these uncertain times, a stress-relieving tonic feels just right as a soothing balm, but does it actually live up to the health claims?
What is cortisol and its relationship to stress? What nutrients are in these drinks and how are they purported to influence cortisol? Do they work? Who should be wary of trying this concoction?
To guide us through these questions, I spoke with CNN wellness expert Dr. Leana Wen. Wen is an emergency physician and adjunct associate professor at George Washington University. She previously was Baltimore's health commissioner.
CNN: What is cortisol and its relationship to stress?
Dr. Leana Wen: Cortisol is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands, which are organs located above the kidneys. The hormone plays a vital role in many bodily functions, including regulating metabolism, blood sugar, blood pressure, sleep-wake cycles and immune responses. Cortisol is sometimes called the 'stress hormone' because its levels naturally rise when our bodies perceive a threat or stressful situation. This reaction is part of the body's 'fight-or-flight' response, helping people stay alert and react quickly when needed.
Those temporary increases in cortisol are a helpful evolutionary adaptation. Problems can arise when cortisol levels stay elevated for prolonged periods of time, which can happen when someone is under chronic stress. Persistently elevated cortisol is linked to problems such as poor sleep, anxiety, high blood pressure and even weakened immunity.
There are a number of medical conditions that can lead to abnormally high or low cortisol levels. Taking high doses of steroid medications or adrenal gland tumors are examples of conditions that can cause excess cortisol. Addison's disease, or primary adrenal insufficiency, is when the adrenal gland stops its usual function. This condition, and problems with the pituitary gland in the brain, could result in low cortisol levels.
CNN: What is in these 'cortisol cocktail' drinks, and how are they purported to influence cortisol?
Wen: Recipes vary, but they tend to have a combination of coconut water, juice (usually orange or some other citrus fruit) and some salts (commonly sea salt and/or magnesium). Sparkling water is often added to taste. Contrary to what the name may suggest, it typically does not contain any alcohol.
Each of the primary ingredients is supposed to play a role in supporting adrenal function and lowering stress. Coconut water is high in potassium, which helps maintain proper fluid and electrolyte balance. Citrus juice offers vitamin C, which plays a role in adrenal gland function. Salt and magnesium are supposed to replenish minerals depleted by stress. Moreover, some researchers believe that magnesium itself may help reduce feelings of anxiety or stress. Because of this, some versions of the cortisol cocktail include magnesium powder and/or cream of tartar, which has a high concentration of magnesium along with potassium and other salts.
CNN: Is there evidence that this drink actually lowers cortisol and reduces stress?
Wen: There is no scientific evidence that this drink has the effects it purports. While it's true that nutrients such as potassium, vitamin C and magnesium are important for healthy adrenal function, they are typically obtained in adequate amounts through a balanced diet. Bananas are the classic food high in potassium, but many others are packed with this mineral, too, such as raisins, apricots and tuna. Vitamin C can be found in citrus fruits, strawberries and peppers. And magnesium is also in many foods, including beans, peanut butter and leafy green vegetables.
True deficiencies in these nutrients can cause health problems, but such deficiencies are uncommon in otherwise healthy individuals. More importantly, there is no evidence that consuming extra amounts beyond what the body needs will provide additional benefits or that it will meaningfully lower cortisol levels.
CNN: What about the claim that the drink can treat a condition that influencers call 'adrenal fatigue'?
Wen: The claim that some influencers have promoted on social media is that there is a condition of 'adrenal fatigue' in which stress is overwhelming adrenal glands and people end up feeling tired, anxious and unable to cope with daily life. However, the symptoms could stem from a variety of causes, including poor sleep, mental health conditions, and undiagnosed diseases such as anemia, hypothyroidism and diabetes.
Importantly, there is no recognized medical diagnosis of adrenal fatigue. Outside of cases in which there are specific diseases causing adrenal insufficiency, there is no evidence that somehow the adrenal glands get overwhelmed and lose their ability to function. The symptoms often attributed to adrenal fatigue are real, but they are better explained by other, well‑studied causes. One risk I see is that people might rely on this so-called remedy instead of seeking medical evaluation for the real issues behind their fatigue or stress.
CNN: What about all the people on the internet who claim that they have had positive health outcomes as a result of this drink?
Wen: It may be that some individuals were not getting enough fluids or electrolytes before, and the additional hydration from the drink helped them feel more energized or clearheaded. There is also the placebo effect to consider: When people expect a certain treatment to work, they may genuinely feel better simply because they believe they are doing something beneficial for their health.
The ritual of making and drinking this drink could itself reinforce this sense of control and care, which can have real psychological benefits even if the drink's ingredients have no direct impact on cortisol.
CNN: Who should be wary of trying this so-called tonic?
Wen: People who should be cautious include individuals with chronic medical conditions such as kidney disease, heart disease and diabetes. Certain individuals with kidney disease need to be especially wary of food containing high amounts of potassium. Those with heart failure may be advised to restrict their fluid intake. The sugar in fruit juice may also be problematic for some people with diabetes.
Individuals interested in this drink should check with their doctor before adding this or any influencer-promoted wellness product to their diet. They should ask if any of their medications might interact with the drink's ingredients. And if they are experiencing symptoms — such as fatigue, anxiety or trouble sleeping — that prompted them to try this cocktail, they should discuss these concerns with their doctor to determine whether further evaluation is needed.
Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN's Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The Mere Sight of a Sick Person Can Trigger Our Immune System
The mere sight of a sick person may set off an alarm system in your brain and body, even if they are too far away to infect you. A series of experiments using virtual reality headsets has now revealed just how "exquisitely sensitive" our brains are to symptoms of sickness. When participants saw a virtual avatar at varying distances showing clear signs of illness (like a feverish rash), their brains suddenly kicked into gear and their immune systems were put on high alert. When they saw a healthy, neutral-looking avatar, on the other hand, their brains did not show the same activation patterns, and their bloodwork lacked an immediate elevation in immune markers. Related: Some of these markers are known as innate lymphoid cells (ILCs). ILCs can spike in the blood when the body is directly exposed to a pathogen, but all it took in this case was the sight of a virtual infection and the mere prospect of exposure. "Together, these data show that ILCs react to infections not only when they are detected in the body but also when they are processed as a potential threat approaching the body," write the international team of authors, led by immunologist Sara Trabanelli from the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. When researchers used machine learning to statistically analyze the results of their experiments, they found that the brain's threat-detection activity could largely explain the immune response. After seeing a virtual sick person at a distance, the brains of participants lit up in a unique pattern, which was not seen when the avatar had a fearful expression or a neutral expression. The sick avatars that were furthest away elicited the strongest response from the brain's network. Interestingly, some of these activated areas are the same as those that can be triggered after a flu vaccine is given. The findings suggest that when the brain senses a looming threat, it responds rapidly, triggering activity in brain parts like the hypothalamus, which then communicate with the immune system. This gives the body time to put up a fight. The recent experiments took place among 248 healthy adults in total, and in one of the trials, participants wearing VR were asked to press a button when they felt a touch on their face. When their VR sets featured a virtual sick person, participants pressed the button faster upon feeling the touch than when they saw a neutral or fearful avatar. This suggests that their brains are primed because of the sight of sickness. The anticipation probably evolved as a fight-or-flight response, the researchers suspect, though they caution there's still a lot to resolve, including how perceived infectiousness and disgust interact. "These findings suggest an integrated neuro–immune reaction in humans toward infection threats, not solely following physical contact," conclude the authors. Thanks to our brains for staying vigilant on our behalf. The study was published in Nature Neuroscience. Related News Up to 1 in 5 Americans Think They're Allergic to Penicillin. Most Aren't. The Viral 'Kettlebell Challenge' Could Be Harmful. Do This Instead. The 'Fibermaxxing' Wellness Trend May Pose Health Risks. Here's Why. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
3 myths about metabolism could be holding you back
EDITOR'S NOTE: The podcast Chasing Life With Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores the medical science behind some of life's mysteries big and small. You can listen to episodes here. (CNN)— Think speeding up your metabolism is key to losing weight? Metabolism has grown into one of the biggest buzzwords in the wellness industry — a tricky code that, if deciphered, is believed to unlock the secrets of weight loss and overall health. Despite the term's ubiquity, one scientist says many people don't understand much of how this basic bodily process works. 'They think it has something to do with how much food we can eat without gaining weight or something like that,' Dr. Kevin Hall told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta recently on his podcast, Chasing Life. Hall wants to elevate metabolism for different reasons. 'Metabolism is just this incredible biochemical process that basically turns the food that we eat and the oxygen that we breathe into essentially … everything we are and everything we do,' he said. A leading nutrition and metabolism scientist, Hall is well-known for his research on contestants from the reality show 'The Biggest Loser' that helped explain what set participants who kept the weight off apart from those who gained it back. He spent more than two decades at the National Institutes of Health. His later work on ultraprocessed foods investigated its link to obesity, including one study that demonstrated it actively caused participants to overeat. Hall announced his early retirement and exit from NIH in April, citing censorship of how his research findings were communicated. He's now coauthor of the new book 'Food Intelligence: The Science of How Food Both Nourishes and Harms Us' alongside journalist Julia Belluz. Metabolism and weight loss enter conversations arm in arm, but this, according to Hall, can be reductive. 'I just find it incredibly frustrating sometimes that this idea of metabolism, this really beautiful physiological process that is so fundamental to life, is kind of talked about as, 'Oh well, if you take this supplement, you can boost your metabolism and lose weight,'' he explained to Gupta. You can listen to the full episode here. Is a faster or higher metabolism really the highway to weight loss? Hall is here to set the record straight, highlighting three misconceptions about metabolism that show there is more to it than meets the eye. Myth 1: People with obesity have slow metabolisms One common belief is that a slower metabolism results in a higher body weight. But mostly, Hall said, the opposite is true. 'Generally, larger people have faster metabolisms than smaller people,' he told Gupta. Hall attributed the pervasiveness of this myth to the way researchers designed early metabolism studies. Scientists initially tried to match up participants' caloric intake to their weight, but they didn't account for the fact that these calorie counts were self-reported. It turned out that those with obesity often underreported the number of calories they ate to a larger degree than their leaner counterparts. This, Hall said, 'led people to a conclusion that, well, if they're eating less calories and they're maintaining their weight, then they must be burning less calories. And maybe the reason why they have obesity is because they have slow metabolisms.' Modern technology now allows researchers to rely on data, not participants' own reports. 'When we actually directly measure people's metabolisms, people with obesity have higher metabolic rates on average than people who are lean,' Hall noted. But the myth that we should be boosting metabolism to treat obesity has stubbornly persisted — and has at times led to deadly consequences. When Stanford University researchers discovered that the chemical compound 2,4-dinitrophenol, or DNP, increased metabolism levels in the 1930s, they enthusiastically promoted it as a safe and effective tool for treating obesity. While DNP did boost metabolism, it also led to side effects that included blindness and death, causing federal drug regulators to quickly withdraw it from the market. 'Maybe,' Hall suggested, 'it shouldn't be too much of a surprise later to realize that with something so fundamentally important to life as metabolism, you can't just turn it up and turn it down with a pharmaceutical drug and not expect some pretty severe side effects, including death.' Myth 2: Metabolism slows down as we age Like weight, age might not affect metabolism as much as you may assume. 'It turns out that until you get to very advanced ages, we're talking 70s and 80s, it looks like our metabolic rate is roughly constant,' Hall said. There are, of course, changes in the aging body that can impact metabolic rates. People 'past the age of 30 or so,' Hall said, are 'tending to lose muscle mass or tending to lose lean mass, and they're tending to gain fat mass. And that alone is anticipated to result in a lower metabolism.' That's because lean muscle burns more calories than fat. But it's these age-related changes — that are not inevitable — and not age itself, that influence one's metabolism. 'Once you get rid of that effect … it doesn't seem like there's a fundamental aging effect to slow metabolism as, as we get older,' Hall concluded. A couple ways to combat the loss of lean muscle mass as you age is by engaging in twice-a-week strength training and getting enough protein in your diet (but no need to go overboard). Myth 3: A high metabolism is necessary for weight loss Another pillar of metabolism mythology is the idea that a slow metabolism is the enemy of continued weight loss. Interventions such as dieting are believed to slow metabolism to the point that you can't lose any additional weight. But keeping your metabolism from slowing down isn't the key to sustained weight loss, Hall said. In fact, it's just the opposite. 'The people who are most successful at losing weight and keeping it off are the ones who sport the slowest metabolisms or the greatest reductions in metabolism,' he said. 'It's kind of like stretching a spring, right?' The more intensely someone diets or exercises, the more weight they'll lose and the more their metabolism will slow down, he explained in his book. Hall's research showed that a slower metabolism 'didn't seem to determine anyone's ability to lose weight or keep it off in the short or long run.' By uncoupling metabolism from the weight loss conversation, Hall said he hopes everyone can appreciate the phenomenon for what it really is. Misinformation about metabolism 'has really distracted people, I think, from the real beauty of what this is,' he told Gupta. 'It's harnessing the continuous flow of matter and energy in our food and in our breath and powering every cell in our body, as well as the bodies and cells of practically every organism that we have ever encountered,' Hall said. 'It's a fundamental component of life, and it's just incredibly fascinating.' We hope these three insights help you understand your metabolism better. Listen to the full episode here. And join us next week for a new episode of Chasing Life.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
HEPA air purifiers can help lower blood pressure, study finds
People whose homes are near busy highways may be able to reduce their blood pressure by running an air purifier with a HEPA filter, a study found. Just a month of air filter use cut systolic blood pressure by nearly 3 points in healthy adults who had slightly elevated blood pressure, according to the report published Wednesday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Doug Brugge, the study's lead author and professor and chair of the department of public health sciences at UConn Health in Farmington, acknowledged that 3 points may sound like a small reduction. 'But the medical literature shows that even at that magnitude there can be a meaningful benefit in terms of reducing the risk of serious cardiovascular outcomes, such as heart attack and stroke,' he said. Nearly a quarter of Americans live near busy roadways, according to the new research. People may not realize they're being exposed to traffic-related air pollution because it's invisible, odorless and can be easily missed, Brugge said. Yet high levels of the tiniest particles found in traffic-related air pollution are known risk factors for developing high blood pressure and heart disease. Blood pressure is measured with two numbers: systolic pressure (the top number) and diastolic pressure (the bottom number). A reading of less than 120/80 mm Hg is considered normal. Almost half, or about 119.9 million, of adults in the U.S. have hypertension, or high blood pressure, according to 2023 estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To determine whether simply installing two portable, commercially available air purifiers with HEPA filters could improve heart health, Brugge and his colleagues sought healthy volunteers whose homes were near roadways that would expose them to elevated levels of the tiny particles from vehicle emissions, as well as particles associated with tires and brakes. The researchers randomly assigned 154 volunteers to two groups. One would have two HEPA filters in the most commonly used rooms in their homes — one in the living room and the other in the bedroom. The other would be given sham filters. Then the groups would be switched. After a month of living with HEPA filters, volunteers who had slightly elevated blood pressure at the beginning of the study saw a 2.8-point drop in systolic blood pressure, the top number that the American Heart Association considers the strongest predictor of future heart problems. In contrast, those living with the sham filters saw a 0.2-point drop. People with normal blood pressure did not see an effect from HEPA use. The type of air filters used in the study were comparable to ones consumers can easily purchase in a store or online, Brugge said. The new study is 'intriguing,' said Dr. Matthew Alexander, an assistant professor of medicine in the division of cardiovascular medicine at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Not everyone's blood pressure changed, just those with systolic pressures over 120 at the outset, Alexander said. 'It was a modest effect, but a clinically significant one,' he added. 'And it would correspond to about a 6% reduction in the risk of adverse cardiac events, such as heart attacks, strokes or cardiovascular death.' Alexander would like to see more studies, ones with more participants and a wider range of blood pressures. As would Steven Chillrud, a pollution expert and a research professor at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, New York. It's likely that filtering would help even people who don't live near roadways since traffic isn't the only source of air pollution, Chillrud said. This article was originally published on Solve the daily Crossword
