Coffee is a complex drink that contains more than 1000 chemical compounds, many of which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It is thought that the acidity of coffee is what also helps to stimulate the intestines. Coffee, both decaffeinated and caffeinated, contains chlorogenic acid, which causes higher levels of stomach acid and increased gastric acid production. The general protuberance of acidity causes the stomach to move its contents faster than usual.
But, once again, it's not clear which of the hundreds of chemicals found in a cup of coffee are responsible for that momentum. When you drink a cup of coffee, it stimulates your body to release the hormones gastrin and cholecystokinin. Both gastrin and cholecystokinin trigger the gastrocolic reflex, which stimulates the body to defecate. This communication between the stomach, brain and colon, called the gastrocolic reflex, is a normal response to eating. But coffee seems to have a disproportionate effect; a study published in 1998 found that eight ounces of coffee stimulated colonic contractions similar to those induced by a 1,000-calorie meal. Coffee sends a signal to the stomach to release gastrin.
This triggers a wave of contractions in the intestine called peristalsis. Peristalsis moves food and fluid through the intestines. Finally, we know that there is a role in coffee beans and oils that help defecate. Caffeine in coffee is a proven diuretic, a substance that causes the body to excrete more fluid. In other words, you have to urinate more.
The effect of caffeine on the body is also controlled by other factors, such as sex and activity level. A study at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom discovered that he can actually develop a tolerance to the diuretic effects of coffee. Stomach acid helps in the digestion of food and also promotes colonic activity, so coffee may have a laxative-like effect on some people. Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee stimulates some people's bowel movement, but there's no solid reason why that's. The general digestive effects of coffee, milk and the time you drink it can contribute to the laxative effect. Many people assume that coffee poops because it can contain a lot of caffeine, depending on how the coffee beans are roasted.
Apparently, there is something in coffee as a whole that quickly stimulates receptors in the gastrointestinal system that causes the stomach and colon to contract, says Dr. Just like opening the blinds and getting into the shower, a cup of coffee makes people move in the morning in more ways than one. The coffee itself would move through the intestines much more slowly, it would probably take at least an hour to cross the long path from the stomach, through the small intestine to the colon. Because coffee activates your gut in a similar way, it also gives you the need to eliminate as you would after a big dinner. Some people find that coffee causes an upset stomach and loose stools, as well as side effects related to excess caffeine, such as insomnia, anxiety, palpitations, and headache. Coffee has been shown to improve liver health, decrease the risk of colon cancer, improve cognitive function, decrease the risk of cardiovascular death (CHF, heart attack, stroke), type II diabetes, Parkinson's etc.
In those eight but not in other six coffee intake (normal or decaffeinated) caused an increase in colon motility. It seems that some people are simply not affected by the laxative effects of coffee while for others just a touch of java can have an almost Pavlovian effect on their intestines. Keep in mind that caffeine is not only found in coffee but also in teas soft drinks and energy drinks although it has not been shown to stimulate bowel movement.
