Why Does Coffee Make You Poop?

Coffee is one of the best sources of caffeine on the planet.

Caffeine is a natural stimulant that helps you stay alert.

A single brewed cup provides approximately 95 mg of caffeine (3Trusted Source).

While caffeine is a great energy booster, it may also stimulate the urge to poop. Several studies have shown that it can activate contractions in your colon and intestinal muscles (4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source).

Contractions in the colon push contents towards the rectum, which is the final section of your digestive tract.

Research has shown that caffeine makes the colon 60% more active than water and 23% more active than decaf coffee (6Trusted Source).

However, studies have shown that decaf coffee can also stimulate the urge to poop. This indicates that other compounds or factors are responsible (2Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source).

Summary Coffee is a rich
source of caffeine, which can make your colon and intestinal muscles more
active. This helps your body push food quickly to
the rectum.

It was initially believed that the caffeine in coffee makes you poop.

However, studies show that decaf can also do the trick. This means there must be other factors at work (6Trusted Source).

Chlorogenic acids and N-alkanoyl-5-hydroxytryptamides are both compounds of interest.

Studies have found that they can stimulate the production of stomach acid. Stomach acid helps churn food and move it quickly through the gut (7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source).

Several other factors may explain why your morning cup of java can make you poop.

For example, the act of drinking can make the colon more active. This is called the gastrocolic reflex. It’s the same reflex that activates the colon after you eat a meal (9Trusted Source).

While coffee isn’t considered a meal, it may have a similar impact on your bowels (6Trusted Source).

On the other hand, coffee-induced bowel movements may simply be a coincidence.

This is because the bowels are twice as active when you first wake up, compared to while you’re asleep, so they’re primed and ready to go (10Trusted Source).

Your body’s internal clock, also known as the circadian rhythm, helps regulate many processes, including bowel movements (11Trusted Source).

That said, it’s still not clear how much of an impact these other factors have on stimulating your colon. More research in this area would help determine their significance.

Summary Other compounds in
coffee, such as chlorogenic acids and N-alkanoyl-5-hydroxytryptamides,
may stimulate bowel activity. Additional
factors include the gastrocolic reflex and your body’s internal clock.

Coffee has also been shown to stimulate hormones that help push food through the gut.

For example, it can increase levels of the hormone gastrin. Like caffeine, gastrin makes the colon more active (2Trusted Source).

One study found that drinking regular or decaf coffee raised gastrin levels by 2.3 and 1.7 times respectively, compared to drinking water (12Trusted Source).

What’s more, coffee may raise levels of the digestive hormone cholecystokinin (CCK) (13Trusted Source).

Not only can this hormone increase the movement of food through the colon, but it’s also linked to the gastrocolic reflex, which makes the colon more active (14Trusted Source).

Summary Coffee has been shown to raise levels of gastrin and
cholecystokinin, two hormones linked to
increased colon activity.

Freshly brewed coffee is naturally free of additives and preservatives.

However, over two-thirds of Americans stir in milk, cream, sweeteners, sugar or other additives (15).

In particular, milk and cream may promote bowel movements, as they contain lactose. Close to 65% of people worldwide cannot digest lactose properly (16).

People who are lactose intolerant experience symptoms such as bloating, stomach cramps or diarrhea soon after consuming dairy.

This means lactose can trigger the urge to poop in people with lactose intolerance (17Trusted Source).

Summary Coffee that contains
milk or cream may trigger digestive issues in people with lactose intolerance.
This may increase gut activity and stimulate the urge to poop.

According to one leading study on this topic, 29% of participants experienced an increased urge to poop within twenty minutes of drinking coffee.

Surprisingly, 53% of all the women in the study were affected by this urge (2Trusted Source).

Women may be more prone to this symptom, as digestive conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are more common in women than in men (18Trusted Source).

While the post-coffee urge to go appears to be common, it doesn’t affect everyone.

In addition, it’s not clear if this symptom fades away in regular drinkers.

People with IBS and older adults may be more prone to it because their bowels are more sensitive to the effects of coffee.

Those who are lactose intolerant may also be affected by this symptom if they add milk, cream or other dairy products to their coffee.

Summary Not everyone needs to
visit the bathroom after a cup of coffee, but it may be quite common. People
with digestive conditions, such as IBS, and those who are lactose intolerant
may be more prone to this experience.

Coffee contains a variety of compounds that may stimulate your bowels.

These include caffeine, chlorogenic acids and N-alkanoyl-5-hydroxytryptamides.

Adding milk or cream may further increase this effect, especially if you’re lactose intolerant.

However, it’s unclear which of these has the greatest impact.

If you struggle to go to the bathroom regularly, a cup of coffee may be the solution.