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Workers start their sober day with a cup of coffee, but they grunt as soon as they drink coffee, and they have to go to the toilet in less than ten minutes after taking a few big mouthfuls. are you the same?

There are still 5 minutes left in the meeting, and suddenly I want to go to the toilet. (photo Source: Internet) according to the survey, at least 30% of people will want to defecate after drinking coffee. But because it contains thousands of compounds, it is not clear what makes it "full of shit". But what is certain is that coffee does promote defecation by stimulating the contraction of the colon.

And drinking coffee can really make people feel quickly. In one study, some subjects even had a significant increase in colon motility index within four minutes after drinking coffee.

(photo Source: Giphy) it may take at least an hour to know that the digestive route from the stomach to the small intestine and colon is not so fast. Some scholars speculate that if you want to stimulate the end of the digestive tract in such a short time, it should be the nervous system in the middle of the "intestinal-brain axis" that plays a role.

The "intestinal-brain axis" is the bridge between the brain and the digestive tract, and the flora in the digestive tract also plays an important role. Current studies have found that this axis is inextricably linked from the early development of the brain to neurological diseases in later years.

In a broad sense, the gut axis also includes the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. You can review this article to see its effect on our sleep (photo source: Wiki) when coffee enters the stomach, it sends a signal to the brain, which stimulates the colon: "something is coming, so it's best to empty the bottom!"

This reaction, known as gastrocolonic reflex, is a phenomenon that reflexively causes an increase in colonic motility after filling the stomach.

Acetylcholine is a common neurotransmitter that can stimulate intestinal smooth muscle contraction. In a recent study of gastrointestinal nerve responses, it was found that both all-caffeinated coffee and decaffeinated coffee produced intestinal irritation similar to acetylcholine.

The neuromuscular junction is the site where Acetylcholine (ACh) acts. When acetylcholine binds to the receptor, the ion channel on the muscle cell opens, producing action potential and causing muscle contraction (photo source: Vinmec) some scholars have compared normal coffee, decaf coffee and hot water, and found that coffee caused the volunteers' colon to contract more violently than hot water with or without caffeine. So it is speculated that the cause of colon contraction has nothing to do with caffeine. However, the colon activity caused by normal coffee is more frequent and the intensity is about the same as after a meal.

Caffeine is excluded, and some ingredients are key suspects.

Coffee is rich in dietary fiber, and studies have shown that rats move faster in the small intestine and colon after ingesting a solution containing coffee grounds, and fecal particles form much faster than other rats.

When food passes through the small intestine, undigested dietary fiber is glycolyzed in the colon, releasing short-chain fatty acids, which have been shown to promote colon movement. However, experiments in rats have shown that these reactions can also develop tolerance, and colonic movement becomes less obvious when ingested more often.

(photo source: see watermark) another substance related to gastrointestinal motility is coffee silver skin (Silverskin), the outer coating of coffee beans, which accounts for about 4.2% of the weight of fresh coffee fruit. In the coffee roasting process, Maillard reaction will cover the coffee beans with a scorched brown, while adding a strong flavor.

In the final stage of Maillard's reaction, a high molecular compound called "melanin", also known as "meradized dietary fiber", is produced. The melanin produced during baking is related to the silver skin of coffee.

(photo source: see watermark) melanin accelerates the movement of substances in the small intestine and, like other dietary fiber, accelerates the formation of fecal particles. In addition, it also acts on muscle tension and directly activates the movement of gastrointestinal smooth muscle.

Among the many chemical components of coffee, dietary fiber, melanin, polyphenols (such as caffeic acid) or choline are considered to be key candidates for intestinal smooth muscle contraction.

In addition to coffee itself, which stimulates gastrointestinal reflexes, it may also be activated by hormones produced during digestion in the stomach itself after drinking coffee, such as gastrin, or cholecystokinin secreted in the duodenum by epithelial cells of the small intestinal mucosa. After drinking coffee, the levels of both hormones rise rapidly.

(photo Source: Giphy) Research on the relationship between coffee and gastrointestinal peristalsis continues, but this magical phenomenon has been exploited in the medical field.

Many patients who have undergone surgery will have poor defecation, especially after abdominal surgery will be abdominal distension, pain, can only eat liquid food. A little coffee can significantly reduce the interval between postoperative and first defecation, and help them eat solid food as soon as possible.

Robert Martindale (Robert Martindale) is a professor of medicine in the United States and a nutrition service physician in a hospital. He will advise some patients with chronic constipation who come to consult to drink some coffee while changing their eating habits. Some people even feedback to him: "I can't go to the bathroom without coffee."... "

(photo source: Giphy) but you can't rely too much on coffee as a laxative artifact. A dietitian with the American Nutrition and Dietetic Association (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics) said that constipation is not due to lack of coffee. It is best to eat more fruits and vegetables rich in fiber, drink more water and increase physical exercise. This is the right way to solve constipation.

After all, not everyone can defecate properly by drinking coffee, and many people will have diarrhea after drinking coffee. Everyone has different ability to metabolize caffeine, and some people may suffer from insomnia, heart palpitations, anxiety or headaches because of drinking too much coffee.

You need to measure your strength to drink coffee.

Reference:

[1] https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/why-does-coffee-make-me-need-a-poo/

[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1378422/

[3] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/30/well/eat/why-does-coffee-make-you-poop.html

[4] https://zh.wikipedia.org/zhhans/%E8%85%B8%E2%80%94%E8%85%A6%E8%BB%B8%E7%B7%9A

[5] https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E8%83%83%E7%BB%93%E8%82%A0%E5%8F%8D%E5%B0%84/8480137

[6] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9581985/

[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7824117/

[8] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36432563/

This article is from the official Wechat account: bring Science Home (ID:steamforkids), author: everything.

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