TikTok influencers are touting a new tonic: “cortisol cocktails,” a nonalcoholic tipple that allegedly can clear the mind and trim the waistline by correcting a hormonal issue dubbed “adrenal fatigue.”
While recipes vary, cortisol cocktails typically contain some mix of orange or lemon juice, coconut water, and salt.
TikTok user @ktufte credits cortisol cocktails with helping her lose about 30 pounds and swears these drinks are also far better at lifting fatigue than her morning coffee used to be.
“Literally within 15 minutes you feel the energy way more than if you were to drink a sugary Starbucks or something like that,” she says in one of many viral TikTok videos extolling the virtues of cortisol cocktails.
What Is Cortisol?
Cortisol is a hormone made by the adrenal glands. It’s often called a stress hormone because of the role it plays in helping the body manage stress — but it also plays a part in regulating blood sugar, inflammation, blood pressure, and sleep.
“Cortisol follows a natural daily cycle, peaking in the morning to help us wake up and decreasing in the evening as we prepare for sleep,” says Lindsay Malone, RD, LD, an integrative and functional medicine dietitian and nutrition instructor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
“Chronic stress can disrupt this cycle, and although cortisol is vital, having too much or too little over time can impact overall health and energy levels,” Malone says.
One thing chronic stress doesn’t do, however, is lead to “adrenal fatigue,” says Marilyn Tan, MD, a clinical associate professor of endocrinology at Stanford University School of Medicine in California.
“There is no medical evidence to support that chronic stress leads to burnout of the adrenal glands,” Tan says.
What Is Adrenal Fatigue?
Adrenal fatigue may not be a formally recognized medical diagnosis, but the symptoms many people list off when they describe this condition — like chronic fatigue, brain fog, poor sleep, and food cravings — are very real, Malone says.
“From a functional medicine perspective, we view this as a maladaptive stress response, rather than a true failure of the adrenal glands,” Malone says. “It’s more common than most people realize, especially in people juggling intense physical, emotional, or psychological demands without adequate recovery.”
Treatment for this mix of symptoms typically focuses on lifestyle interventions designed to do things like optimize sleep, regulate blood sugar, manage stress, and increase moderate intensity physical activity, Malone says.
Cortisone cocktails won’t really help these symptoms, Malone adds. “They’re not a substitute for foundational lifestyle changes,” she says.
Potential Benefits of Cortisol Cocktails
The mix of ingredients in a typical cortisol cocktail may provide a quick boost of hydration, electrolytes, and sugars — things that may temporarily make someone feel better if they’re especially dehydrated or dealing with low blood sugar, Malone says.
“People often find electrolytes in coconut water helpful for hydration,” Dr. Tan says. In fact, Tan sometimes tells patients to make homemade sports drinks by adding a dash of juice and salt to their water. But this doesn’t mean cortisol cocktails are a stress-busting panacea.
“Hydration is helpful for the body, but there is no scientific evidence that such a cocktail regulates cortisol levels,” Tan says.
Potential Risks of Cortisol Cocktails
While drinking cortisol cocktails in moderation is unlikely to cause major health issues for most people, getting too much sugar and salt from these beverages may pose risks for some, Tan says.
In particular, people with diabetes or blood sugar issues should be cautious about drinking cortisol cocktails because the fruit juices and coconut water could cause a spike in blood sugar, Malone says. The salt content in cortisol cocktails may also pose a risk to some individuals with kidney disease and people on sodium-restricted diets for medical reasons, Malone adds.
There’s also a chance that relying on cortisol cocktails to relieve symptoms that sound like what TikTok users call adrenal fatigue might prevent people from getting the help they need for serious medical issues, Malone cautions.
“A one-size-fits-all drink isn’t going to solve complex fatigue or stress-related conditions,” Malone says. “If someone is feeling persistently fatigued or unwell, it’s worth investigating the deeper root causes with a qualified healthcare provider.”
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Tom Gavin joined Everyday Health as copy chief in 2022 after a lengthy stint as a freelance copy editor. He has a bachelor's degree in psychology from College of the Holy Cross.
Prior to working for Everyday Health, he wrote, edited, copyedited, and fact-checked for books, magazines, and digital content covering a range of topics, including women's health, lifestyle, recipes, restaurant reviews, travel, and more. His clients have included Frommer's, Time-Life, and Google, among others.
He lives in Brooklyn, New York, where he likes to spend his time making music, fixing too-old electronics, and having fun with his family and the dog who has taken up residence in their home.
Lisa Rapaport is a journalist with more than 20 years of experience on the health beat as a writer and editor. She holds a master’s degree from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and spent a year as a Knight-Wallace journalism fellow at the University of Michigan. Her work has appeared in dozens of local and national media outlets, including Reuters, Bloomberg, WNYC, The Washington Post,Los Angeles Times, Scientific American, San Jose Mercury News, Oakland Tribune, Huffington Post, Yahoo! News, The Sacramento Bee, and The Buffalo News.
