Studies show that drinking coffee is more effective at inducing bowel movements than drinking hot water
There are several testimonials from people who say that drinking coffee turns their stomach, but there are still few studies that reveal the reason for these bowel movements. Some suggest that the composition of the coffee or decaf may be responsible for the sudden urge to go to the bathroom.
In 1998, researchers placed a sensory probe in the colon of 12 healthy volunteers. According to CNN, these people consumed coffee, decaf and water for 10 hours and the results revealed that coffee was 60% more effective than water at stimulating bowel movements.
In another study, researchers found that the volunteers' bowel activity increased four minutes after drinking coffee.
As Kyle Staller, director of the Gastrointestinal Motility Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital, explains to CNN, coffee, when in contact with "the stomach lining, triggers either a nervous system or a hormonal response that causes the colon to start contracting."
The expert adds that "the contractions of the colon move the stool lodged there toward the rectum and voila. We have the momentum of a bowel movement."
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