You’ve had your morning coffee and the inevitable happens. You have to use the restroom and you have always been wondering if it is the coffee or something else? So we ask ourselves, does coffee make you poop?
The simple answer is YES, coffee does make you poop (or most of us). There are many benefits of coffee but because of these simple reasons our bowl movement may be increased :
- Coffee includes caffeine and caffeine is known to be a stimulant and energiser. Not only does caffeine activate and energise your brain, it also activates the colon and intestinal organs.
- Coffee includes several acids which in turn stimulate the stomach acids. Stomach acids are responsible for moving and churning food in your stomach.
- Coffee is a fluid like any other fluids. Fluids help bowl movement and increase the speed of digestion.
- Coffee is high in magnesium which we also know promotes digestion.
- Many people enjoy their morning cup of joe with milk. Milk includes lactose and lactose promotes bowl movement.
These (and some other) reason make coffee a natural laxative. It does not effect everyone however. We are all not the same and we react to ingested food or drink in many different ways.
However, research shows that more than 25% in people who digest coffee have the urge to poop after 20-30 minutes. Surprisingly most of the affected percentage (over 55%) are women.
Does decaf coffee make you poop?
Well, we don’t know for sure but research has shown that even decaf coffee can make you poop easier.
Also keep in mind that decaf coffee still has some caffeine left (about 9mg per 8oz) and we already know that caffeine stimulates bowl muscles and movement.
Bottom line
There are many reasons why people believe coffee makes you poop easier.
Whether it is a combination of caffeine, acids, magnesium and lactose (if you add milk) or either one of them alone, we believe coffee does help you poop easier. On top of that in a study from 2005 it was even suggested that coffee can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.
Just because coffee makes you poop doesn’t mean you should stop drinking coffee. We know there are many benefits of coffee such as; coffee is rich in antioxidants, coffee can prevent hepatitis, has almost no calories and many others.
And if you struggle with constipation, coffee might be the perfect solution for you.
