After exercising and eating lunch, women tend to have higher cortisol levels than men, and this difference becomes larger if they consumed caffeine beforehand.

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Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

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Community contributions welcome

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Cortisol responses to mental stress, exercise, and meals following caffeine intake in men and women.

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2006 Mar

After exercising and eating lunch, women’s stress hormone levels went up more than men’s—especially if they had drunk coffee beforehand. This suggests coffee and exercise affect women’s bodies differently than men’s.

Contradicting (0)

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No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Cortisol responses to mental stress, exercise, and meals following caffeine intake in men and women.

Score: 51

DOI: 10.1016/J.PBB.2006.03.005

Similar Assertions

In response to mental stress, men tend to have a higher peak cortisol level than women, with a 25–30% greater increase. In contrast, women tend to have a stronger cortisol response to eating a midday meal after exercising, especially when caffeine has been consumed.

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83%

In healthy adults, doing moderate exercise by itself does not raise cortisol levels much, but when caffeine is consumed before exercise, cortisol levels rise about 40 minutes after the workout in both men and women.

51

0

76%

Consuming 750 mg of caffeine daily in three doses increases cortisol levels throughout the day when individuals are exposed to mental stress, physical exercise, or eating after exercise, and this increase occurs similarly in both men and women, though the overall stress response size may differ by sex.

51

0

74%

Consuming caffeine before a mentally stressful task leads to a 15–20% higher increase in cortisol levels compared to taking a placebo, and this effect is similar in men and women.

51

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72%