Why Does Coffee Make You Poop?

Scientists are still trying to find out why this happens in certain individuals. Coffee has over 1,000 different compounds, making it hard to understand the exact nature of this experience.

However, we think it may be related to three main reasons.

Caffeine stimulates parts of your body by ‘pushing’ extra energy to your intenstines and colon. When your intestines are activated, they begin to flex/contract. This happens every day of your life after you eat food, and as it turns out, it also happens when you are done drinking coffee. Even if you haven’t recently eaten, the caffeine is strong enough to activate your colon and your intestines and jumpstart your digestive system. Caffeine is, by nature, a stimulant, so it shouldn’t come as a shock that it can be a little bit volatile when it comes to making you go to the bathroom. 

Your body activates something called peristalsis when you are swallowing and digesting something. This is common after you eat something, but it is also caused by coffee. There are nutrients and chemicals in coffee that help trigger this. 

When you drink something, your body starts a gastric response as part of your gastric reflex, which also stimulates your need to go to the bathroom. This means that when you drink coffee you are being affected by caffeine which makes your intestines and colon retract as well as peristalsis and gastric reflexes which force your body to get moving. 

Coffee can begin bowel movements only minutes after it is consumed. When this is combined with everything else, it is simple to see why drinking a lot of coffee, especially for those who aren’t used to having it in their system, can cause such an immediate need to use the bathroom.

Some people are not affected by coffee, while others have an immediate need to rush to the bathroom. The interactions between coffee and the colon are complex, numerous and we don’t fully understand them. But if coffee keeps you regular, then keep doing what you're doing! Here's to knowing why coffee makes you poop!