Coffee & Eczema: Breaking Down Dr. Jason Lee’s Case Against Coffee

A few weeks ago, I wrote about why I eliminated coffee to heal my severe eczema & psoriasis. As part of my healing journey, I've been trying to fix the root cause of my skin issues. I know that I need to heal from the inside out. Ultimately, I landed on the decision that it was counterproductive to continue drinking coffee while trying to heal.

I discovered Dr Jason Lee on YouTube, a former long time eczema sufferer turned functional medicine doctor, who articulates the case against coffee better than I ever could.

You can watch his full video here:

👉 Watch Dr. Jason Lee’s Video on Coffee

What stood out to me is how closely his clinical observations align with what I’ve been suspecting in my own healing journey — especially when it comes to digestion, adrenal stress, liver detox, and skin inflammation.

Here are my notes from his video, but I highly suggest watching the video yourself and taking your own notes.

1. Coffee as a Pro-Oxidant (Not an Antioxidant)

You’ve probably heard:

“Coffee is loaded with antioxidants.”

Dr. Lee makes an important distinction:

• Green coffee beans contain antioxidants.
• Roasted coffee (what we actually drink) is highly oxidized.

Roasting is an aggressive oxidative process. Once roasted, the antioxidant profile changes dramatically.

From a root-cause healing perspective, this matters.

If you’re dealing with:

• Chronic inflammation
• Autoimmune skin disease
• Gut barrier dysfunction
• Oxidative stress

…adding more pro-oxidant load daily may not be helpful.

For someone trying to calm systemic inflammation, this is worth considering.

2. Coffee Stimulates Stomach Acid — At the Wrong Time

This one really caught my attention.

Coffee stimulates stomach acid production.

That’s fine when you’re eating.

But most people drink coffee:

• First thing in the morning
• Between meals
• On an empty stomach

Dr. Lee’s argument:

When you stimulate acid without food, you deplete digestive capacity.

If you chronically deplete digestive secretions, you may impair:

• Protein digestion
• Nutrient absorption
• Mineral absorption
• Blood sugar regulation

And here’s where it gets relevant to eczema:

If protein isn’t properly broken down → larger peptides enter the gut → immune activation increases → systemic inflammation rises.

That’s one plausible pathway connecting digestion to skin flares.

I’ve personally noticed less gurgling, less digestive stress, and more stable digestion since removing coffee.

3. Coffee and Systemic Acidity → Inflammation

Dr. Lee argues that habitual coffee consumption contributes to an acidic internal environment, which promotes inflammation.

Whether you agree with the acid-alkaline framing or not, clinically we do know:

• Chronic inflammation drives autoimmune skin disease.
• Anything that increases inflammatory signaling can amplify symptoms.

He also connects coffee with:

• Joint pain
• Gout
• Bone mineral issues
• Systemic inflammatory states

From a root-cause lens:

If eczema and psoriasis are inflammatory diseases, why add a daily inflammatory stimulus?

4. Adrenal Stimulation & Cortisol Burnout

This is where I think things get especially relevant.

Coffee is a stimulant. It increases cortisol.

Now consider:

• Most of us are already chronically stressed.
• Autoimmune conditions are highly stress-sensitive.
• Cortisol dysregulation is common in chronic inflammatory disease.

Dr. Lee compares coffee to “borrowing energy.”

It forces output from the adrenal system.

The problem?

You have to pay that energy back.

In my own experience:

When I quit coffee:

• I felt sluggish for ~2 days.
• Then my baseline stabilized.
• My energy became consistent instead of spiked.

That tells me I wasn’t producing energy naturally — I was stimulating it artificially.

If you’re trying to regulate your immune system long-term, stabilizing cortisol may be critical.

5. Coffee & Liver Detoxification

This was a big one.

Dr. Lee states that coffee interferes with phase 1 and phase 2 liver detox pathways.

The liver is responsible for:

• Hormone metabolism
• Toxin clearance
• Estrogen processing
• Endogenous waste removal

If detoxification slows, toxins can recirculate.

Where do toxins often manifest?

The skin.

He specifically mentions:

• Acne
• Eczema
• Rashes
• Hormone-related cysts

Whether every mechanism is fully agreed upon in conventional medicine or not, clinically we know this:

When detox pathways are impaired, inflammatory burden rises.

And eczema is, at its core, an inflammatory burden problem.

6. Coffee Is a Diuretic

Most people don’t drink enough water.

Coffee increases fluid loss.

Hydration is foundational for:

• Lymphatic flow
• Bowel movements
• Detoxification
• Skin barrier function

If you’re dehydrated:

• Digestion suffers
• Elimination slows
• Skin dryness worsens

If you’re trying to repair the gut and skin barrier, hydration matters more than stimulation.

7. The Additives Problem

Even if you argue that black coffee isn’t that harmful…

Most people don’t drink it black.

They add:

• Cream
• Sugar
• Artificial sweeteners
• Flavored syrups
• Processed creamers

Sugar alone is a massive driver of inflammation and gut dysbiosis.

Many eczema sufferers already struggle with blood sugar instability.

Adding daily sugar through coffee drinks only compounds that issue.

8. “But Studies Say Coffee Is Healthy”

Dr. Lee makes an interesting point:

Epidemiological studies may show correlations with longevity.

But clinically, in practice, he says he consistently sees improvement when patients remove coffee.

This mirrors what I’ve seen in root-cause communities:

• Remove triggers.
• Calm the system.
• Stabilize digestion.
• Improve sleep.
• Reduce stress load.

Coffee checks multiple “stress” boxes.

9. What About Decaf?

Decaf still contains caffeine.

And many decaf processes involve chemical solvents (unless Swiss water processed).

Even beyond caffeine, roasted coffee contains compounds that may stress digestion and detox pathways.

For someone healing aggressively?

It might make sense to eliminate it completely — at least temporarily.

My Take (After Watching This)

Do I think coffee is the sole cause of eczema?

No.

But I think it can be:

• A daily inflammatory input
• A digestive disruptor
• A cortisol dysregulator
• A liver stressor
• A hydration drain

When you’re trying to calm a systemic autoimmune condition, removing daily stressors matters.

And coffee is one of the most normalized daily stressors in modern culture.

I used to think:

“It’s just one cup.”

But one cup daily for years adds up.