Coffee contains many bioactive compounds that influence metabolism directly, causing your colon to contract and promoting bowel movements, as well as indirectly, via neurohumoral responses.
Story at-a-glance There’s an, often unspoken, effect of coffee drinking that many would consider a benefit — it makes you poop
Colon activity increases quickly after a cup of coffee — within four minutes — and the effect persists for at least 30 minutes
In terms of acting as a colonic stimulant, drinking caffeinated coffee has effects similar to that of eating a meal, and leads to activity that is 60% stronger than drinking water and 23% stronger than drinking decaffeinated coffee
Molecules including exorphins, which are opioid-like compounds in coffee, motilin or the hormone gastrin may be involved in coffee’s metabolic effects, possibly due to neurohumoral responses, meaning they involve both neural and hormonal mechanisms
By potentially increasing metabolic rate and enhancing the function of brown fat, it’s possible that coffee could also contribute to weight loss Coffee is enjoyed by 7 in 10 Americans each week, while 62% enjoy coffee daily.[1] On the record, the most common reasons why people drink coffee are for the taste and the caffeine boost it provides — to increase energy and “wake me up.”[2],[3] But there’s another, often unspoken, effect of coffee drinking that many would consider a benefit — it makes you poop.
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