Many of us rely on a cup of coffee to start the day and get us moving (in more ways than one!). But how does it affect your gut health?
The US is a nation of coffee drinkers, with over 60% of us enjoying at least one cup a day. And while it helps to keep you alert, there’s evidence that drinking coffee can be beneficial for your health.
Research has shown that coffee may have a wide range of health benefits including reducing your risk of diabetes, heart disease Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and various types of cancer.
But have you ever wondered what does your cup of Morning Joe does to your microbiome? We speak to our expert Dr. Nicola Segata from the University of Trento, Italy, to find out what we’ve learned from our PREDICT studies about how coffee affects your gut health.
In this post, we take a closer look at:
- The many biological molecules that coffee contains and their relation to overall health.
- The gut-related benefits of drinking coffee.
- Novel findings from our PREDICT studies relating to coffee consumption and gut microbiome diversity.
How coffee affects your gut health
There are more than a thousand bioactive molecules in coffee. The best known - and our favorite! - is caffeine, which provides that famous energy boost. But there are lots of other beneficial compounds in coffee, including vitamin B2, magnesium, and polyphenols. So how do all these chemicals affect our gut?
One of the most obvious effects of coffee is its ability to keep things moving through your gut. Caffeine activates contractions in your digestive tract, while other compounds in coffee stimulate the production of stomach acid, which both help move food through your gut and keep you regular.
You might have noticed that after you finish your cup, you need to make a speedy exit to the bathroom. If so, you certainly aren't alone: nearly 30% of people say that drinking coffee makes them need to poop within 30 minutes.
Coffee also contains a range of anti-inflammatory molecules that can help maintain a healthy digestive tract and prevent inflammatory reactions that have been linked with chronic diseases.
How coffee affects your microbiome
The millions of microbes living in your gut (known as your microbiome) play an essential role in your gut and overall health. They can also have a significant impact on how you respond to food. To eat to support our best health, we need to understand how the things we eat and drink (coffee included) affect our gut inhabitants.
In our PREDICT studies, we took a closer look at how coffee consumption affects the microbiome.
"We saw a very strong correlation between drinking coffee and the composition of the gut microbiome," says Nicola. "We noticed that people who drank coffee tended to have higher microbiome diversity."
"We also found that the link between coffee and the microbiome was dose-dependent, so people who drank more than four cups per day tended to have the highest microbiome diversity, compared with people who drank fewer cups or none at all."
As you might remember from our previous posts, a rich, diverse microbiome with lots of different microbial species is generally a healthy microbiome. That's because when you have lots of different gut microbes, you have a capable, resilient community that can cope with whatever you throw at it. Importantly, a high microbiome diversity has been associated with a reduced risk of obesity and chronic diseases.
So, a diverse microbiome is a healthy microbiome, and it seems that coffee might help us get there. But how does it work?
Although we can't say precisely why coffee drinkers tend to have higher microbiome diversities, it may be linked to the fact that coffee contains polyphenol and soluble fiber compounds that act as food for our beneficial ‘good’ gut microbes and increase their diversity and activity.
Coffee also contains antimicrobial molecules that can help reduce the presence of harmful microbes, making room for ‘good’ bacteria and helping them flourish.
Bearing all this science in mind, we see no reason to cut out coffee - and it might help keep you regular and increase your microbiome diversity too!
Find out more:
FAQs
Recent research has shown that drinking coffee may positively influence the bacteria in our guts, known as our gut microbiota or gut microbiome. The microbiome is made up of trillions of microbes that live in our digestive systems and interact with us in a variety of ways, influencing our overall health and well-being.
Is coffee healthy for the gut? ›
Anti-Inflammatory Properties: Coffee has been found to positively impact the gut microbiome with its prebiotic properties. Coffee can lower harmful specifics of microbes and feed the good bacteria in your gut 7. Source of Dietary Fibre: Dietary fibre can be found in some coffee grounds.
Does quitting coffee improve gut health? ›
Improved digestive health
If your stomach and digestive system isn't the same after drinking coffee, giving it up can help things get back to normal. This is because “caffeine can irritate the stomach lining and increase acid production, leading to symptoms in susceptible individuals,” Ungerleider explains.
Which coffee is best for gut health? ›
A recent landmark study by the Zoe Project found that those who drank black coffee had more good gut bacteria and therefore a healthier, more diverse microbiome, than those who didn't.
Is coffee good for cleaning your gut? ›
According to the scientific literature, drinking coffee is beneficial for the gut health. It helps improve bowel movement by increasing the motility of smooth muscle in the gastrointestinal tract.
What is the best way to drink coffee for gut health? ›
3 Ways to Make Your Coffee More Gut Friendly
- Look for low caffeine options. According to dietitians at Mind Body Green, caffeine is a naturally occurring substance that can cause digestive irritation. ...
- Try cold brewing. ...
- Use Dairy-Free Creamers & Milks.
Summary. Coffee can cause stomach upset, heartburn, and reflux symptoms in some people. If you're one of them, you may want to try a few different varieties to see if any reduce your symptoms. Some coffees claim to be milder and less irritating.
Does quitting coffee improve health? ›
Not partaking in caffeine can be good for your blood pressure. Caffeine has been shown to raise blood pressure levels due to the stimulatory effect it has on the nervous system. High intake of caffeine — 3 to 5 cups per day — has also been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Is life better without caffeine? ›
Quitting caffeine can lead to fewer jitters, reduce heart palpitations, and improve sleep patterns. Excessive caffeine consumption can lead to a cycle of heightened anxiety and reliance on caffeine to cope. By quitting caffeine, you can stop this cycle and explore other ways to manage your stress.
What happens to your stomach if you drink coffee everyday? ›
“Coffee and caffeine can increase the production of stomach acid,” DiMarino shares. “Coffee also relaxes the valve, allowing excess acid to enter your esophagus.” Both reactions can cause more severe and frequent reflux symptoms.
Overall, lighter roasts generally have less caffeine and more antioxidants than darker roasts. The type of bean can affect the caffeine content, but both Arabica and Robusta beans can give you the full health benefits of coffee.
What coffee is easiest on the gut? ›
Low-acid coffee options
- Dark roasts. Dark roast coffees tend to be less acidic because they contain fewer compounds that cause stomach cells to produce acid.
- Espresso beans. ...
- Cold brew. ...
- Low-acid coffee brands. ...
- Mushroom or chicory coffee blends.
Keep your cup from overflowing with empty calories with these seven ideas.
- Skip the drive-through. ...
- Limit caffeine to one or two cups per day. ...
- Sweeten your coffee with less sugar. ...
- Choose low-fat milk options. ...
- Switch up your cup. ...
- Pay attention to nutrition labels. ...
- Customize your order to avoid extra calories.
It turns out that caffeinated coffee can help kick-start your day and your colon. Research shows that high-octane java cranks up activity deep down in your gut 60% more than water and 23% more than decaf coffee. But as we mentioned, decaf coffee also can help move things along due to those acids.
Does coffee detox the liver? ›
It should be safe for you to drink coffee if you have a liver condition. There is some evidence that it can slow down the progress of liver disease in some people. Some research found that people were less likely to die of liver disease or to develop cirrhosis if they drank coffee.
What do I drink to clean my gut? ›
Lemon water and honey: Mix fresh lemon juice, one teaspoon of honey, and a pinch of salt with warm water and drink on an empty stomach in the morning. Juices and smoothies: These include fruit and vegetable juice fasts and cleanses. Juices made of apples, lemons, and aloe vera help in colon cleansing.
Are there any health benefits to drinking coffee? ›
Hu said that moderate coffee intake—about 2–5 cups a day—is linked to a lower likelihood of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver and endometrial cancers, Parkinson's disease, and depression. It's even possible that people who drink coffee can reduce their risk of early death.
Is coffee inflammatory? ›
Caffeine is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about coffee. But coffee also contains antioxidants and other active substances that may reduce internal inflammation and protect against disease, say nutrition experts from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Does coffee break gut rest? ›
The short answer is no, coffee does not break a fast. Black coffee in particular is considered fasting-friendly due to its minimal caloric content (it typically contains fewer than 5 calories per cup).
