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Does coffee make you rush to the loo? Florida gastroenterologist explains why drinking coffee stimulates bowel movements
Lifestyle

Does coffee make you rush to the loo? Florida gastroenterologist explains why drinking coffee stimulates bowel movements

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Published on: Nov 08, 2025 09:20 pm IST

Do you need to drink coffee in the morning to stimulate bowel movements? Dr Salhab explains the science behind the connection.

We’ve all experienced it: that urgent need to dash to the bathroom right after your morning coffee – or the dread of drinking coffee when you’re out and about. While it might feel like a quirky coincidence, there’s actually a scientific explanation behind it.

Dr Salhab explains the science behind coffee and bowel movements.(Pexel)

Also Read | Can chewing gum ease heartburn? Florida gastroenterologist shares 3 easy hacks to relieve acid reflux without medication

Dr Joseph Salhab, a gastroenterologist and health content creator from Florida, specialising in digestion, liver, pancreas and nutrition, is explaining what makes you want to run to the loo after drinking coffee. In an Instagram video posted on November 8, the gastroenterologist highlights the role of coffee in stimulating bowel movements and shares three gentler alternatives that won’t leave you running to the loo.

Why does coffee make you need to poop?

Dr Salhab states, “Does coffee make you have to go poop? If it does, you’re not alone. In fact, 30 to 40 percent of people who drink coffee regularly report that coffee has to make them go to the bathroom in the morning.”

He mentions that this happens for a few reasons. He explains, “First is the caffeine content. Caffeine can stimulate movement of the colon within four minutes of ingesting it. Coffee also stimulates contraction of your gallbladder to pump digestive enzymes and bile. And this also stimulates your gastrointestinal tract to start moving.”

The gastroenterologist adds that coffee is typically served warm, and consuming warm beverages can naturally stimulate bowel movements – warm water also works the same way. He continues, “Also, the antioxidants within coffee have been shown to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria within the gut and these beneficial bacteria can also influence how often we use the restroom.”

Gentler alternatives

Dr Salhab outlines three effective ways to manage that sudden urge to run to the loo after drinking coffee.

  1. You can opt for beverages with lower caffeine content – such as green tea – or simply cut down your usual coffee intake to reduce its laxative effect.
  2. Switching to a cold brew or iced coffee also helps.
  3. If that doesn’t work, you can just switch to a decaf version, which still has plenty of antioxidants and health benefits, minus the sudden urge to rush to the bathroom.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.

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News / Lifestyle / Health / Does coffee make you rush to the loo? Florida gastroenterologist explains why drinking coffee stimulates bowel movements

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Anant Ambani's fitness trainer says simple movements like ‘sitting cross-legged, squatting’ can improve joint health
Lifestyle

Anant Ambani’s fitness trainer says simple movements like ‘sitting cross-legged, squatting’ can improve joint health

by jummy84
written by jummy84

From sitting in chairs all day to avoiding natural movements like squatting or sitting cross-legged, modern habits are quietly weakening our joints and core. Celebrity fitness trainer Vinod Channa, who helped Anant Ambani and Nita Ambani with their weight loss journeys, explains in his September 16 Instagram post why reconnecting with these basic postures is essential for long-term health. (Also read: Fitness coach says ‘walk like your life depends on it’, shares 10 rules to melt belly fat and get lean by New Year )

Fitness trainer Vinod Channa advocates for traditional movements to combat modern sedentary habits.

Why are people struggling with basic movements today

Vinod explains in his post, “I tell people who come to the bot centre that they don’t do any intense or beneficial workouts. Whether it’s getting up, sitting down, some agility work, speed, endurance, or power, they avoid it.”

He adds, “The main reason for this is that nowadays, everybody sits at a 90-degree angle, and the lower body strength required for squatting has been lost. Their ankles, knees, hip joints, core strength, and elbows are all weak. That’s why they struggle with getting up, sitting down, and performing agility movements. They don’t even spend a full hour in 24 hours doing basic human activities like walking or moving around.”

Can simple routines keep your body strong

Highlighting the importance of simple routines, he says, “Even a simple hour of walking in a day is enough to maintain your joint and overall body strength. The lack of this is the reason for weakness. So whenever you get a chance, sit down to eat in a squatting position.”

Calling it the most natural way to use the body, Vinod concludes, “This is the traditional Indian style and is the best way, it engages elbows, wrists, shoulders, and hip joints while eating. Always try to use your joints and muscles whenever you get the opportunity.”

Note to readers: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.

This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice.

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Ayo Edebiri addresses ongoing work of Me Too and Black Lives Matter movements after being excluded from question about them in favour of ‘After The Hunt’ co-stars
Music

Ayo Edebiri addresses ongoing work of Me Too and Black Lives Matter movements after being excluded from question about them in favour of ‘After The Hunt’ co-stars

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Ayo Edebiri has addressed the ongoing work of the Me Too and Black Lives Matter movements after being pointedly excluded from a question in favour of her white co-stars.

While in Venice on a press tour for the upcoming Luca Guadagnino film After The Hunt, which is pegged as a post #MeToo psychological thriller, Andrew Garfield, Julia Roberts and Edebiri were asked what was “lost during the politically correct era”.

The reporter also asked what we have to expect in Hollywood, now that “the Me Too movement and Black Lives Matter are done”.

Roberts then asked them to repeat the question, seemingly inviting the reporter to address all the actors, saying, “With your sunglasses on, I can’t tell which of us you’re talking to.” However, they clarified that the question was only for Garfield and Roberts.

Edebiri looked around the room, stunned after being excluded from the question, saying: “Yeah, I know that that’s not for me, and I don’t know if it’s purposeful if it’s not me, but I just am curious.”

“I don’t think it’s done,” she continued, to agreement from Roberts. “I don’t think it’s done at all. I think maybe hashtags might not be used as much, but I do think that there’s work being done by activists, by people, every day, that’s beautiful, important work that’s not finished, that’s really, really, really active – for a reason, because this world is really charged.

“And that work isn’t finished at all.”

She said while mainstream coverage of Me Too and Black Lives Matter might not dominate headlines as much as it did at the peak of the respective movements, it didn’t mean that the work was done.

Garfield agreed, and concurred that “the movements are still absolutely alive”, but “maybe not as witnessed or kind of magnified as much in this present moment”.

Fans on social media were shocked she’d been excluded from the question, given not only was she the only Black woman in the room, but her first major acting role had a direct connection to the aftereffects of the BLM movement.

In 2020, Edebiri took over voicing the character Missy in Big Mouth, having been originally voiced by Jenny Slate, a white Jewish actress, who later apologised for playing Missy, a biracial teenager with a white mother and a Black father.

Edebiri spoke to Entertainment Weekly at the time about Slate’s decision, and how broader culture was shifting in order to make space for marginalised actors. “I’ve thinking about a lot about how so much has changed, like even in my lifetime,” The Bear star said.

“Sometimes I’ll watch older movies, and often not even that old, and they’re using slurs that are unbelievable and people are pretending to be people with disabilities and winning Oscars, and you’re like, ‘Huh?’ We discovered that this was wrong and we’ve corrected it.

“I think, to me, this is a faster version of that in a way. It’s like, okay, we realised it, and we’re seeing it happen in real time that what we thought was acceptable maybe isn’t, and we’re learning why and learning to have conversations about it in real time, too.

She later spoke to The New York Times about how the role made her a target of racism online, which she has continued to be as recently as of last year, when Edebiri received “insane death threats and racial slurs” after Elon Musk spread misinformation about her being cast in a “fake reboot” of Pirates of the Caribbean.

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