On social networks, Internet users extol the supposed merits of “adrenal cocktails”, also called “cortisol cocktails”. These are non-alcoholic drinks that are believed to “regulate cortisol levels”. Cortisol – the stress hormone – is secreted by the adrenal glands. A few minutes after the adrenaline rush, it invades the body to help maintain an energy level high enough to escape or fight the stressor.
Rest assured: these cocktails do not contain cortisol, but rather a series of ingredients that vary greatly from one publication to another. There are cocktails that you make yourself, generally combining citrus juice (for vitamin C), coconut milk (for potassium) and salt. Some add cream of tartar, collagen or even magnesium.
Influencers are also promoting commercial cocktails, made up of powders that dissolve in water, such as Happy Juice, which sells for $164 for 30 servings. According to the website of the American company that markets them, these powders contain fruit and plant extracts, probiotics and prebiotics. “It’s clinically proven to reduce your tension, your anxiety, your stress,” promises Gina Beeg on TikTok, who assures that her cocktail also helps manage your emotions, control your blood sugar levels, sleep better and even lose your “cortisol belly.”
Some argue that their cocktail increases cortisol levels, others that it decreases it, but most use vague terms (like supporting and balancing) and claim this: these cocktails are said to invigorate “tired” adrenal glands.
At our request, researcher Sonia Lupien, director of the Center for the Study of Human Stress, watched a series of these TikTok videos. His verdict? “That’s nonsense,” she said, sighing. There is no basis for anything I saw. »
The origin of this trend dates back to the 1990s. Studies concluded that patients suffering from burnout or chronic fatigue did not produce enough cortisol. Clinicians said that it was therefore necessary to restore hormonal levels to regain balance, explains Sonia Lupien. From this emerged the concept of “adrenal fatigue” – a pseudoscientific term.
Hormonal systems are “extremely complex” systems, emphasizes Sonia Lupien. “It’s not as simple as: ‘you don’t have enough, I’ll give you some,’” the researcher summarizes. “And every time someone tells you that a product treats more than one thing – anxiety, depression, diabetes, I lost 30 pounds, it sure as hell isn’t true,” adds Sonia Lupien, who emphasizes that these problems often have physiological bases that are the opposite.
The “cortisol belly” exists. In times of chronic stress, the body stores abdominal fat, because it is easily accessible in case of threat, explains Sonia Lupien, who finds it hilarious that a “cortisol cocktail” is presented as THE solution to this problem. “The last thing you want when you have a cortisol belly is to have cortisol administered to you! »
If we had to drink orange juice, coconut milk or all kinds of supplements to stress or distress, “we would never have survived the mammoths”, summarizes the researcher, who wants greater supervision of this misleading content .
In the PubMed search engine, we find studies that have measured the association between stress and anxiety (self-reported) and the intake of different minerals, plants or vitamins. This literature is not without interest, but these are small studies, which can have biases, and whose results and parameters vary, explains Karine Paiement, dietitian-nutritionist and doctoral student in kinesiology at the University of Montreal.
The popularity of these cocktails testifies to one thing: people are looking for ways to regulate their stress, and it’s quicker to down a cocktail than to take the time to meditate, take active breaks at work, cooking meals and eating them surrounded by people you love, or even looking for the source of your stress, summarizes Karine Paiement. “It’s the set of lifestyle habits that count,” she recalls.
For people looking to de-stress, Sonia Lupien has some advice: go for a jog or a brisk walk around the block or – better – in a green space. “It’s going to have a bigger impact than your cocktail of nonsense that the lady is going to sell you,” she concludes.