Can TikTok’s Viral Cortisol Drink Actually Reduce Your Stress Levels? Here’s What We Know – Health Digest

Among other hormones, our adrenal glands produce cortisol, commonly known as the stress hormone, explains the Cleveland Clinic. The first ingredient in the adrenal cocktail — vitamin C — may help lower levels of cortisol in the body. Findings of an early 1999 study presented to the American Chemical Society showed that rats who were fed large doses of vitamin C and placed in stressful situations exhibited lower levels of stress hormones in their blood. In her TikTok video, Moyer recommends using orange juice as a vitamin C food source, which may have additional benefits. “Orange juice is also a natural carbohydrate source, so that can provide energy instead of triggering the adrenal glands to stimulate the body’s own glucose production,” registered dietitian Jenna Stangland told Bustle.

The second ingredient in the cocktail is collagen, which mostly gets praised for its purported ability to revitalize skin when taken as a supplement. Experts at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health explain that having chronically high cortisol levels can cause the body’s natural collagen production to drop, but the adrenal cocktail may help restore this essential protein.