Cortisol is often called the stress hormone because it prepares your body to respond to threatening situations, but it also plays other important roles, including regulating metabolism, energy levels and circadian rhythms.

The adrenal glands – two tiny, triangle-shaped organs that sit on top of your kidneys – release cortisol every day, said Dr Irina Bancos, an endocrinologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Cortisol is highest in the morning, which helps you feel alert, and lowest in the evening, which lets you rest.

When something stressful happens – say, you need to sprint to catch a bus or give an impromptu presentation at work – your adrenal glands produce extra cortisol. This increases the amount of glucose in your bloodstream so your body can use the sugar for quick energy. It also reduces the urge to use the bathroom so you can focus on the threat, Bancos said.

Cortisol surges are helpful for stressful situations that occur in brief bursts. But with longer-term stressors, such as demanding jobs or difficult family circumstances, your cortisol levels may remain elevated – including at night, when it can affect your sleep, Bancos said. Poor sleep can cause symptoms that the cortisol cocktail is meant to address, like fatigue and food cravings.

What’s in the cortisol cocktail? Does it help?

Recipes vary, but most cortisol cocktails contain fruit juice (typically orange juice), coconut water and sea salt. Some include extra ingredients like cream of tartar (a powdered food additive high in potassium) or sparkling water. Despite their name, the cocktails do not contain alcohol.

The line on social media is that the vitamin C from juice, the potassium from coconut water and the sodium from sea salt can help with “adrenal fatigue” by replenishing those nutrients lost as a result of stress. (The cocktail is also sometimes referred to as an adrenal cocktail.)

But “there is no such thing as ‘adrenal fatigue’,” said Dr Anat Ben-Shlomo, an endocrinologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

While high cortisol levels can interfere with sleep and cause sluggishness, stress doesn’t “fatigue” the adrenal glands, as some influencers claim.

“There’s no evidence that the adrenal glands run out of steam or lose the ability to secrete hormones in a normal person,” said Dr Lawrence Kirschner, an endocrinologist at the National Institutes of Health.

There is a real, yet rare, condition called adrenal insufficiency, which occurs when you don’t produce enough cortisol, said Dr Salila Kurra, medical director of the Columbia Adrenal Center at Columbia University. It can cause symptoms like weakness, fatigue, weight loss and nausea. But the condition is typically caused by an autoimmune disorder or a problem with the pituitary gland, not a stressful life. Doctors can diagnose adrenal insufficiency by measuring cortisol levels in your blood.

The experts we spoke with weren’t aware of any studies on whether cortisol cocktails do what influencers claim. But they agreed that these drinks probably won’t eliminate fatigue or stress.

Potassium and sodium are essential for helping your body to maintain proper fluid levels and move muscles, and vitamin C helps with wound healing, among other important functions. But if you’re following a balanced diet, you’ll be getting enough of these nutrients anyway, said Dr Jodi Nagelberg, an endocrinologist at UC San Diego Health.

Many fruits and vegetables, such as citrus fruits, mangoes and broccoli, contain vitamin C. And bananas, avocados and sweet potatoes are rich in potassium. Most people consume more than enough sodium, too.

Are there any downsides to the drink?

Having an occasional cortisol cocktail won’t harm your health, but keep in mind that typical recipes can be high in sodium and sugar, Ben-Shlomo said. Excess sodium can raise your blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. And diets high in sugars, even natural ones from fruit juices, can raise the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

A cocktail recipe that contains a half-cup of orange juice, a half-cup of coconut water and a half-teaspoon of salt, for instance, contains around 1200 milligrams of sodium (more than half of the daily 2300-milligram limit recommended by federal health officials) and 16 grams of sugar.

Instead of getting these nutrients from fruit juice, which has minimal fibre, you’re better off reaching for a whole fruit, Ben-Shlomo said.

What’s the bottom line?

Refreshing as they may be, cortisol cocktails probably won’t boost your energy or eliminate stress. And the adrenal fatigue they are purported to fix isn’t a real condition.

Instead, to relieve stress, try a short meditation or workout, or listen to some relaxing music, Nagelberg suggested.

And if you do feel better after drinking a cortisol cocktail, Bancos said, it may be because of the placebo effect.

It’s also possible that taking a break from a hectic day to prepare a beverage could help lower stress, she said. “Even I want to make one,” Bancos said, after she scrolled through videos of people peacefully stirring their drinks. It’s almost “like a spa experience”, she noted.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Written by: Caroline Hopkins Legaspi

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