Caffeine is a natural stimulant that helps you stay alert and energized. A single prepared cup of coffee contains approximately 95 mg of caffeine. This stimulant can also activate contractions in the colon and intestinal muscles, which can lead to the urge to defecate. The science behind coffee and poop is that coffee can make you poop regardless of its caffeine content.
Decaffeinated coffee has the same laxative effect on some people. Artificial sweeteners containing sugar alcohols, such as xylitol, mannitol, sorbitol, and erythritol (prevalent in stevia) can cause bloating, flatulence, and other digestive problems. If you put artificial sweeteners with sugar alcohols in your coffee, your sweetener may be making you want to go, not the coffee itself. Caffeine can help you defecate more than decaffeinated coffee.
Although caffeine has been shown to cause an early urge to defecate and is a known stimulant, decaffeinated coffee can also stimulate bowel movements. A 1990 study in the magazine Gut found that both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee led to the same bathroom results. Coffee can be part of a comforting morning routine that wakes us up in many ways. If you are looking for a way to stay regular, consider adding coffee to your diet.
Coffee stimulates colon activity as much as a 1000-calorie meal and the effect is reduced by decaffeinated coffee, but it does not go away completely. So if you're looking for a way to stay regular, consider adding coffee to your diet.
