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Why does coffee maintain regular bowel movements and suppress intestinal bacteria? Texas researchers have discovered that this does not seem to be due to the caffeine content.
Coffee drinkers can recognize the effect of the drink on the stool. A study presented at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2019 showed that coffee suppresses intestinal bacteria and increases muscle motility in the rat, regardless of the caffeine content. The researchers fed rats and also tested a mixture of coffee and gut bacteria in petri dishes.
Effects on intestinal bacteria and intestines
The study revealed that:
- The growth of intestinal bacteria and other microbes in feces in a petri dish was suppressed with a 1.5% solution of coffee;
- Microbial growth was even lower with a 3% solution;
- There were changes in the smooth muscles of the intestine and colon; and
- This was not limited to caffeine. A decaffeinated version had a similar effect on the intestinal microbiome.
Decaffeinated can have the same effects as caffeine
Xuan-Zheng Shi, PhD, lead author of the study and associate professor of internal medicine at the Medical Branch of the University of Texas at Galveston, explained, "When rats were treated with coffee for three days, the ability of the muscles of the small intestine to contract seemed to increase. Interestingly, these effects are independent of caffeine, since coffee without caffeine has effects similar to those of ordinary coffee. "
Further research
After the rats received coffee for three days, the number of bacteria in their feces decreased. The researchers note, however, that further research is needed to determine whether the changes are favorable for firmicutes ("good bacteria") or enterobacteria ("bad bacteria").
The researchers added that their results confirm the need for clinical research to determine whether drinking it could be an effective treatment for:
- Postoperative constipation; or
- Illeus (when the intestines stop working after abdominal surgery.
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