There have been health drinks as long as there have been people. They go in and out of fashion. The trendy drink is the cortisol or adrenal cocktail. People swear it reduces stress and aids weight loss. But is there any science behind it?
The cocktail is lemon or orange juice, coconut water and sea salt. There is no evidence it lowers cortisol levels. However, there may be some nutritional value in the drink.
“As soon as I saw the ingredients, I was like, this looks remarkably similar to a sports drink you would mix up,” said Lindsay Malone, an integrative and functional medicine dietitian and nutrition instructor at Case Western Reserve Univ. “Juice, sodium, some potassium, so a little bit of sugar, some electrolytes in a fluid... I just wonder, if some of the benefits are just that, generally, people are dehydrated, and so maybe they get a little blood sugar boost, and then also some electrolytes to rehydrate them. Maybe that’s part of the pull for this.”
While cortisol is maligned, it is an essential hormone the adrenal glands produce as a response to stress. It helps regulate blood sugar, metabolism, sleep and inflammation. Cortisol levels should change throughout the day to feel awake and fall asleep. Trying to eliminate or keep it at a constant low isn’t realistic or healthy.
Some people claim that the drink will heal adrenal fatigue. However, adrenal fatigue is not a medical diagnosis; it’s a theory that being tired, stressed and experiencing insomnia is caused by overworked adrenal glands. The theory says chronic stress leads to extreme fatigue and sleep problems because of overwhelmed adrenal glands. It is not a diagnosable condition, as there is no evidence that it exists.
“[‘Adrenal fatigue’] is a term coined by a chiropractor in the ’90s to describe a cluster of vague symptoms that he was seeing in his patients,” said dietitian Leah Barron. “Since then, the term has been used online by influencers and alternative medicine practitioners to push their adrenal cocktail products and profit off of vulnerable people.”
Many of the symptoms that people attribute to adrenal fatigue can be signs of hypothyroidism or blood sugar concerns. If you have done research and believe you may have signs of adrenal fatigue, speak to your doctor to be sure it isn’t something more serious.
While people are singing the praises of the cocktail, it’s not great for everyone. A popular version of the drink combines half a cup of orange juice, half a cup of coconut water and a quarter teaspoon of salt. That yields a drink high in carbs and sodium. If you have concerns about your blood sugar, blood pressure or kidneys, it might be better to avoid it.
While we love finding new ways to encourage ourselves to drink more water, this isn’t water. A 16-oz serving of this drink has roughly 170 calories. As it is packed with carbs and salt — but no fiber — it isn’t your best soft drink choice. There are many delicious mocktails available. We recommend reaching for something like a ginger iced tea over the cortisol cocktail.
