Many people feel how coffee affects the intestines within 10-30 minutes after drinking a cup of their favorite drink. Symptoms manifest themselves in different ways - it may be the urge to go to the toilet, there may be pain or stinging, heartburn, flatulence. They manifest themselves in a weak or strong degree, and a person does not always associate them with the fact that he drank his espresso or latte. But everyone who cares about their health should know about the effect of coffee on the intestines in order to understand what is happening to their body.
The effect of coffee on the digestive system
Coffee can cause stomach pain if a person drinks a lot of it on an empty stomach and forgets to have a snack. Add here lack of sleep, nervous stress, poor irregular nutrition, then we can assume irritable bowel syndrome: most of the patients are women who do not go to the doctor for treatment, although degenerative tissue changes occur inside.
Average age 30 – 40 years. People prone to mental disorders - panic attacks, phobias, depression - get sick more often. In addition to abdominal pain, there is gastroesophageal reflux disease, stool disorders - constipation or diarrhea. Caffeine may worsen symptoms in such cases.
If your stomach hurts after coffee, this makes it clear that you need to temporarily exclude this drink and monitor your well-being. The fact is that irritable bowel syndrome begins in the stomach; if left untreated, the disease spreads to the small intestine.
At first, few people pay attention to the dehydrating effect of coffee. At a young age, the body copes by removing water from the skin and intercellular fluid.
With age, people whose gastrointestinal tract initially works worse begin to notice that many foods and drinks somehow have an incorrect effect on their well-being. This is a signal to review your habits, diet and the amount of water you need to drink per day.
Coffee dehydration affects not only the stomach, but also the pancreas. It regularly synthesizes digestive juices, which consist of 99% water. If there is not enough fluid, digestion will be incomplete.
If you drink on an empty stomach
Chlorogenic acid, which is found in coffee beans, stimulates the production of hydrochloric acid. If this happens on an empty stomach, heartburn or damage to the stomach lining is possible. The presence of hydrochloric acid in the stomach without food gradually leads to gastritis.
People who want to lose weight brew green ground grains. The effect is known: a person can go without food for half a day, although this is not so beneficial for an empty stomach.
If you rarely drink coffee on an empty stomach, then most likely there will be no problems. With constant consumption of caffeine and organic acids contained in grains, there is a chance to seriously disrupt the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
Effects of coffee on the stomach
How does coffee affect the gastrointestinal tract?
Pain after drinking occurs in a number of cases, one of which is when consumed on an empty stomach. If there is no food to digest, the acid attacks the empty walls aggressively, causing painful spasms. Pain appears when a person has eaten a heavy meal and immediately after eating drinks a cup of espresso or Americano.
The effect of coffee on the stomach has been studied in detail for many years, after which a disappointing conclusion was made: caffeine can cause unpleasant pain in the gastrointestinal tract. Sharp pain is provoked by the use of grains of certain varieties and degrees of roasting:
- Light roasted beans. By treating the grains at low temperatures, most of the acids remain in the beans. During the cooking process, acids pass into the drink.
- “Sour” grains, which include the popular Arabica. It is dangerous to consume Arabica beans with the label “Washed” on the packaging.
On a note! Acids pass from the ground powder into the drink with certain preparation methods: brewing directly in a cup, using a Turk, or a French press.
Coffee in the morning on an empty stomach and the gastric mucosa
It is dangerous and harmful to the stomach to drink coffee on an empty stomach in quantities exceeding the permissible limit.
Grains contain a number of chemical compounds that negatively affect the stomach. Chlorogenic acids irritate the gastrointestinal mucosa, which can lead to gastritis or even ulcers. Drinking the drink on an empty stomach makes the situation worse. If you drink it without first eating, discomfort appears in the stomach immediately after coffee.
Gastritis is accompanied by abdominal upset, painful spasms, heaviness, and belching. If measures are not taken, gastritis can develop into an ulcer. It is a hole in the mucous membrane and is accompanied by prolonged pain.
Is coffee bad for the stomach?
The following organs are affected by chlorogenic acid:
- Pancreas;
- Stomach;
- Liver.
Drinking the drink immediately after waking up is especially dangerous. The stomach is completely empty of its contents at night, and the mucous membrane immediately reacts to the effects of acid, resulting in pain, heartburn, and belching. Bloating is common after drinking coffee.
Since caffeine consumption quickly becomes an addiction, coffee drinkers tend to drink the drink on an empty stomach. When they wake up, they immediately brew a cup of their favorite drink, forgetting to have breakfast beforehand. Few people think about how much harm coffee causes to the stomach. As a result, most eventually begin to suffer from gastritis, which can develop into ulcers or even cancer.
In addition, coffee is dangerous for the stomach because any hot liquid irritates the mucous membrane, which increases mucus production.
Coffee can cause stomach pain
Gastrointestinal diseases for which you should not drink coffee
In addition to irritable bowel syndrome, there are other diseases of the digestive system for which you should not drink coffee. As a last resort, brew it very weakly, but for a coffee lover, weak espresso will not bring any pleasure, so it is better to refuse altogether.
Stomach and duodenal ulcers
Why coffee makes your stomach hurt - the cause may be damage to the mucous membrane, in other words - ulcers on the inner surface. Most likely, the person knows about his problem, but ignores the doctors’ warnings. This sometimes ends in a painful attack and forces the person to give up all prohibited foods.
With an ulcer, excess hydrochloric acid in an empty stomach is an exacerbation. Sick people are forced to eat on a schedule and not go hungry. The list of products is also limited. Coffee, especially instant coffee, is strictly prohibited, since in addition to organic acids, soluble granules contain artificial acids that corrode the already damaged mucous membrane.
Gastritis
Can coffee cause stomach pain if there is no ulcer? Maybe with gastritis. This disease is considered a pre-ulcer condition and requires diet. The mucous membrane is inflamed during gastritis. The cause is not necessarily nutrition. It is possible that a person's upper gastrointestinal tract is parasitized by Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium that leads to ulcers.
Depending on the state of the immune system, symptoms may be kept under control by the body for a long time. But when immunity decreases, ulcers on the mucous membrane appear quickly and the person is forced to undergo treatment.
Pancreatitis
Inflammation of the pancreas is dangerous because with inflammation and stenosis of the ducts, digestive juices can dissolve the organ from the inside. If a person with an attack of acute pancreatitis is not taken to the hospital in time, partial necrosis of the pancreas and nearby tissues with heavy internal bleeding is possible.
The consumption of prohibited foods and coffee on an empty stomach during inflammation of the pancreas parenchyma is strictly prohibited, especially strong brew, with sugar and fatty milk.
If your stomach hurts after coffee with milk, could this be a symptom of pancreatitis? It may, but it is necessary to conduct an examination to know exactly your diagnosis and adjust your diet.
Stomach diseases and contraindications
Drink freshly brewed coffee
Many people cannot imagine their morning without coffee. But what to do when gastrointestinal diseases are detected? Should you immediately give up your favorite drink, or can you continue to drink it even with painful sensations? Let's look at common stomach diseases and whether you can drink coffee if you have them.
- Gastritis. This disease occurs quite often. The main reasons: dietary errors, stressful situations, bad habits, sedentary lifestyle. For gastritis of the stomach, gastroenterologists advise completely eliminating coffee from the diet. If it is difficult to give up the drink, you must follow the following rules:
- It is better to prepare the drink in coffee makers, using the filter once;
- With low acidity, two small cups per day are allowed with the addition of low-fat milk;
- For people with high acidity, it is advisable to completely avoid the drink. It is rare to allow one serving of a weak drink with added milk.
Gastritis is often accompanied by abdominal pain, belching, heartburn, and cramps. Is it possible to drink coffee if your stomach hurts? If you experience any discomfort, drinks containing caffeine should be avoided.
- Poisoning. In case of poisoning, caffeine is contraindicated because the body is weakened and will most likely reject any liquid other than water. Having been poisoned, a person does not take food, and as you know, consuming caffeine on an empty stomach is dangerous.
- Is it possible to drink coffee if you have an upset stomach? Some believe that the drink has a binding effect and will help stop diarrhea. This is not true, since it, on the contrary, acts as a laxative. In addition, caffeine dehydrates the body, which has already lost a lot of water due to diarrhea.
- Caffeine has become widespread in the treatment of cancer. The grains contain an antioxidant complex that fights against the spread of malignant tumors. Also, cancer patients feel a loss of strength, depression, and their blood pressure often drops, so oncologists recommend including several cups of natural coffee in their diet. Is it okay to drink coffee if you have stomach cancer? The drink does not affect the further development of tumors in the esophagus, oral cavity, pancreas, and stomach. If there is no pain, it is allowed in small quantities.
Important! Cancer patients can have a maximum of two cups of a weak drink per day, diluted with milk, without added sugar. Be sure to have breakfast before use.
Remember that caffeine dehydrates the body
Is it possible to drink coffee if you have a stomach ulcer?
For drink lovers suffering from stomach and duodenal ulcers, an important question is: is it possible to drink coffee with these diseases? Doctors advise listening to your own feelings that appear after the drink. Even after successful treatment, you should undergo regular examinations to exclude recurrence of the disease.
Drink consumption should be reduced to one small portion per day. You should not drink it on an empty stomach, because in this case hydrochloric acid begins to be actively produced. If you drink the drink on an empty stomach, the acid produced will corrode the mucous membrane. This causes the disease to enter the acute stage, as well as the development of oncology.
Cooking methods and effect on mucous membranes
The way you brew coffee beans affects how your body reacts, but not for everyone. If you have a weak stomach or sensitive intestines, you need to choose the optimal concentration of grains and dosage of water so as not to suffer from negative symptoms.
How do different cooking methods affect the reaction of the gastrointestinal tract:
- Turkish coffee. It is considered a very strong drink if brewed correctly. The degree of grinding of the grains is very high, that is, almost dust, which cannot be felt when rubbed with your fingers. This is necessary so that all the essential oils are transferred into the water.
If grounds get into the stomach, it can cause irritation and lead to intestinal upset. In this case, it is better to brew coffee by machine or brew it like tea.
- Machine espresso. Espresso brewed in a coffee machine does not harm a healthy person if he does not abuse the dosage. A cup contains up to 120 mg of caffeine, and the permissible limit is 350 mg per day, that is, 3 servings. If you eat normally, there should be no negative consequences.
The only reason why your stomach turns from coffee is the individual characteristics of the body, because the laxative effect of caffeine is also known. It occurs because the alkaloid draws fluid from the intercellular space into the intestines.
Video: Don't drink coffee on an empty stomach!
Reabsorption does not have time to occur, so the person has the urge to defecate. In this case, it is necessary to drink water before drinking coffee, as well as after it, to reduce the risk of dehydration.
- French press. This is a universal device that prevents grounds from getting into the cup, and also makes it possible to brew a drink of the desired strength. Depending on the infusion time, more or less caffeine enters the liquid. In general, the drink made from a French press is weaker, so if your stomach hurts after coffee, you can get a teapot.
To avoid acids getting into the water, ground grains are infused cold, simply pouring water over them overnight. In the morning, you get an invigorating drink with caffeine, but without the acidic component. You can use a French press for this.
How to drink coffee correctly so that your stomach doesn't hurt
Recommendations of gastroenterologists:
- You should not drink coffee after waking up. Wait at least one hour to spend on breakfast.
- The habit of drinking coffee on an empty stomach is dangerous even for absolutely healthy people. Many people feel heartburn and sharp pain in the stomach after drinking a cup on an empty stomach. This occurs due to the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach.
- It is advisable to drink the drink several hours after eating. During this time, almost all the contents of the stomach will have time to be digested. You should not wash down your meals, as this can lead to heaviness in the stomach, bloating, and inability to digest food.
- It is better to exclude the drink after 15 hours and not drink it at night.
- As for adding milk, scientists are still arguing about this. It is believed that milk, together with caffeine, forms toxins that contaminate the intestinal walls. At the same time, a drink with milk turns out to be more gentle and not so aggressive for the stomach, so gastroenterologists advise adding low-fat milk, avoiding heavy cream and sugar.
What to do if your stomach hurts after coffee? The first thing to do is to undergo FGS to rule out the presence of serious diseases.
Coffee with milk is less aggressive for the stomach
Is it possible to drink coffee in preparation for gastric FGS?
On the eve of the procedure, in the afternoon, it is recommended to adhere to a diet, excluding fried, fatty, canned, and sweet foods. Drinking caffeine can cause digestive system problems, which will prevent an accurate diagnosis. On the day of fibrogastroduodenoscopy, you are allowed to drink half a glass of clean water, excluding the consumption of other drinks. FGS is done on an empty stomach, so you cannot eat on this day.
What type of coffee is best to drink?
Soluble sublimate, which contains a large number of harmful chemical compounds, should be completely excluded from the diet. It is advisable to buy grains and grind them before cooking.
- In case of increased acidity, during periods of exacerbation, it is better to avoid drinking the drink. During the period of remission, give preference to the product in grains.
- For prolonged severe pain, replace the drink with cocoa or barley coffee.
After coffee, your stomach hurts quite often, but you need to understand that there can be different reasons. If you drink the drink according to all the recommendations of gastroenterologists, without overusing the quantity, there should be no sensations of discomfort. If you have gastrointestinal diseases, you should consult with your doctor so as not to aggravate the existing problem. It is not necessary to give up your favorite drink, you just need to be more attentive to your feelings and prevent pain in the abdominal area.
Degree of roasting and variety of Arabica - effect on the stomach
After coffee, your stomach hurts if the beans are heavily roasted. In Italy and Spain, it is customary to fry them until black and shiny. From a health point of view, this method is not very good. Many substances oxidize and are no longer beneficial; most vitamins and minerals disappear with strong heat treatment. Roasted essential oils also undergo a lot of changes and are no longer as beneficial.
Arabica is considered a more acidic variety, especially highland ones. The cost of such coffee reaches 300 dollars or more per kilogram. People suffering from gastrointestinal diseases do not make sense to spend that kind of money to get an attack of gastritis, ulcers or pancreatitis. A regular, inexpensive, light-roasted Arabica will do.
Pain after instant coffee
Some people get stomach ache from instant coffee. This indicates that a low-quality product was purchased, although the method of producing freeze-dried coffee itself suggests health problems after consuming it. Expensive production involves more investment and less profit from sales.
Unscrupulous producers want to increase profits by replacing natural grains with cheap raw materials - acorns, oats, barley, chestnuts. If a person has an allergy or food intolerance to any component, then he will not know that this product is in instant coffee, hence why his stomach or abdomen hurts after coffee. In addition to counterfeit raw materials, the composition may contain chemicals that restore the taste and aroma of natural coffee.
It’s better to buy high-quality, expensive varieties and not overuse soluble granules. Natural grains are many times healthier and safer.
