Introduction
Who does not know it? You drink your obligatory cup of coffee in the morning and suddenly you have an unpleasant feeling. But not only in the morning, but also at lunchtime or in the afternoon, diarrhea often occurs after drinking coffee.
Sometimes this effect is desired, but often it is also an unpleasant by-product of drinking coffee. Besides a genetic predisposition, this is also due to the effect that coffee has on the body. The caffeine contained in coffee has a digestive effect on the gastrointestinal tract. It also varies from person to person, resulting in increased or decreased symptoms.
Why does diarrhea occur when drinking coffee?
The fact that coffee consumption leads to diarrhea can be explained by several factors. The caffeine contained in coffee makes a major contribution to this. In the human body, caffeine stimulates the formation and release of the hormone gastrin into the bloodstream.
Various intracellular mechanisms promote the movement of the muscles located in the intestinal wall. In addition, the formation of gastric acid is stimulated by specialized cells in the stomach. An increased secretion of gastric acid may cause stomach ache as well as a faster decomposition of food components.
Due to the faster decomposition, however, more food is transported to the intestine in a short time. This makes it more difficult to absorb all the components, and with regard to diarrhoea especially the water. This effect is supported by the increased activity of the intestinal muscles.
This results in a faster passage of the food through the intestine, which in turn does not allow the proper absorption of food components and especially water. Another important aspect in the development of diarrhea when drinking coffee is genetics. Not every person or every body reacts to caffeine in the same way. This results in milder or stronger courses or even the absence of diarrhoea.
Could this also be a coffee intolerance?
If diarrhea occurs after drinking coffee, this may also be due to coffee intolerance. The caffeine contained in coffee is not necessarily the cause of the symptoms. Some other components of coffee such as biogenic amines can also trigger a similar reaction in the body. Since the various types of coffee also differ in part with regard to their ingredients, it is worth trying out other types. Espresso is also a much-used alternative, as the beans are roasted differently for this.
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