How to deal with diarrhea after drinking coffee?

Coffee Ingredients

Natural coffee can bring both benefits and harm. It all depends not only on the quality of the product, but also in what quantities you use it.

The drink contains nicotinic acid, of course, caffeine, tannins, amino acids and even trace elements. Coffee is difficult for the digestive system to digest on an empty stomach, and coffee with milk with enzyme deficiency can cause indigestion.

Coffee is a choleretic agent, so it should be consumed carefully by people with gastrointestinal diseases.

Does the drink help or not?

Too strong coffee does not bind, but on the contrary can have a relaxing effect

Coffee and tea contain tannins, which have an astringent effect. Knowing this, many try to treat indigestion with strong coffee. But the drink causes the opposite effect. This is due to the fact that the intestines are already irritated, and drinking a cup of strong drink enhances the effect. The condition is significantly worsening.

There is another factor why you should not drink coffee if you have diarrhea. In this state, the body is dehydrated, and caffeine has a diuretic effect. Therefore, it is better to drink plenty of water rather than a strong drink.

Properties of grain drink

Most people do not think about the effect of the drink on the body and take it out of habit or to invigorate the body. This thinking is quite justified, since caffeine stimulates brain activity, and a person begins to feel much more alert.

Coffee also contains nicotinic acid, which is responsible for the synthesis of B vitamins and supports other metabolic processes in the body.

That's not all. Few people will say that they don’t like the aroma of freshly ground coffee. It's all about a special substance - trigoneline, which is released during the roasting of aromatic grains. Tannins have a strengthening effect on the digestive organs, so stories that a strong drink helps with diarrhea are not at all a fairy tale (the reaction of each organism is individual).

The amino acids that make up coffee increase emotional stability and endurance.

When can I take it?

Acorn coffee reduces the load on the pancreas.
It is a proven fact that drinking coffee during diarrhea is contraindicated. But there is an exception when a drink can help. This is coffee made from acorns and barley. These two remedies help with diarrhea.

These drinks can only be called coffee because of their similar taste. The effect on the body differs from the original one. They have fixing properties and have a beneficial effect on peristalsis.

Coffee made from acorns contains more than 60% starch. It coats the intestinal walls. Due to this, the load on the pancreas is reduced. Diarrhea stops.

Barley drink will help get rid of bloating, infections, parasites

Drinks made from barley and stomach contain a substance called quercetin. It helps get rid of the formation of cramps, gas, and bloating.

Coffee also gets rid of certain types of intestinal parasites, bacteria and infections.

Causes of diarrhea after drinking coffee

So why does diarrhea appear after drinking? It turns out that not everyone is prone to diarrhea after drinking this drink. Do not forget that the reaction to this or that product is individual for each person.

An invigorating drink should be taken in moderation on an empty stomach.

Coffee also has some negative effects on the body. Caffeine and nicotinic acid irritate the gastric mucosa, and gastric juice is secreted more actively. As mentioned above, the risk of diarrhea increases if you drink coffee with milk, since not every adult's body can process or absorb milk. The load on the digestive organs increases significantly, the body’s ability to absorb food well decreases, and diarrhea begins.

Coffee has a particularly negative effect on the body when it is drunk frequently and a lot on an empty stomach. The body cannot process coffee on an empty stomach, especially when it is weakened by a virus or severe stress. In this case, coffee is perceived as a toxin, and the body rushes to get rid of it, for example, with severe nausea and vomiting.

It is instant coffee that causes a high risk of diarrhea: this consistency has not only natural substances. When the body begins to perceive coffee as a potent toxin, severe nausea and diarrhea occur.

Do not forget that the thickness and temperature of the product can also affect the body. In half of the cases, it is the thick product that has settled at the bottom that causes the disorder. To protect yourself from “surprises,” you should use filter bags when brewing coffee or brew it in a coffee machine.

Do not also forget that a cold drink can cause digestion to stop altogether, and food simply will not move through the intestines. And since the temperature of the drink is not comfortable for the body, it tries to get rid of it as quickly as possible.

When should you not drink coffee?

There is a category of patients for whom coffee for diarrhea is strictly contraindicated. A person can drink espresso and cappuccino every day without any problems. But, if a digestive disorder has developed, in some situations the use of a tonic product may worsen the patient’s condition.

You should not drink coffee in the following cases:

• Increased heart rate.
• The appearance of heartburn, bloating.
• Severe pain in the side, near the navel, lower abdomen.
• The appearance of blood and a large amount of mucus in the feces.
• Temperature rise above 38ºC.
• Headaches, dizziness.
• Profuse vomiting.

If you notice that you have diarrhea within half an hour of drinking espresso, stop drinking the drink for a while. When the condition stabilizes, try introducing the product gradually, reducing the portions of the product and the concentration of ground grains.

Important! Children and adolescents under the age of 16 should not drink caffeine-containing liquids, as they have a negative effect on the nervous system. In addition, drinking coffee can lead to the development of acute poisoning in a child.

Other causes of diarrhea

It should be noted that the coffee drink is not always to blame for diarrhea. There are many reasons for rapid bowel movements:

1. Severe stress or nervous tension. Remember that the body works as a single system, and all organs are interconnected and controlled by impulses. When exposed to negative situations, the frequency of impulses decreases. This leads to frequent muscle contractions and increased peristalsis. In this case, cases of diarrhea may often occur.
2. An individual allergic reaction to food, for example, the body cannot break down foods such as caffeine, sugar, etc.
3. Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages. Alcohols negatively affect the walls of the stomach and intestines. In turn, the intestines cannot absorb liquid and other substances. Needless to say, alcohol negatively affects the liver and bile ducts, and when drinking coffee after alcohol, the liver cannot cope with the load, and bile begins to exit through the intestines, accompanied by severe bouts of diarrhea.
4. Traveler's syndrome or eating unusual foods and drinking water. Even if you are in a neighboring city, the body’s reaction to a different chemical composition of water may not be predictable. So on trains you should pay attention to what you drink and, if possible, brew your coffee with drinking water from a brand you trust.
5. Dysbacteriosis or imbalance of beneficial bacteria in the body. If you have dysbacteriosis, it is strictly forbidden to drink coffee.

Symptoms of indigestion with diarrhea

If we take into account the mechanism of manifestation of diarrhea, it can be divided into two categories:

• mechanical diarrhea - a change in the process of peristalsis (for example, if you drank low-quality instant coffee on an empty stomach);
• diarrhea is caused by impaired absorption of fluid (including due to dysbacteriosis or after alcohol intoxication).

Diarrhea is characterized by the emptying of liquid stool and frequent (intolerant) urges. But after drinking coffee, additional symptoms may occur, such as cramping, bloating, general weakness, dizziness, and fever.

Don’t panic and stop drinking coffee; the reaction to it is purely individual. But still, if you have diarrhea after each coffee intake, then it can be replaced with analogues: acorn, barley coffee or chicory. You can also try switching to brewed or low-caffeine coffee.

How else to deal with diarrhea?

If you have severe diarrhea, you need to follow some rules:

• do not eat heavy and fatty foods;
• drink regular or mineral water;
• limit the consumption of milk, meat, dairy products, nuts;
• completely eliminate coffee, or better replace it with strong black tea.

To strengthen the intestines, eat dogwood, chokeberry, pears, and persimmons.

Many doctors note that people who frequently drink coffee are less susceptible to bouts of diarrhea. If you are sensitive to coffee, you should be careful when consuming chocolate, energy drinks, and other products containing caffeine.

Also, do not neglect your medications. You can take activated carbon or buy other sorbents at the pharmacy, for example, the same Smecta.

When diarrhea does not stop for more than a day, you should consult a doctor.

Treatment

No specific therapy is required. In case of allergies, it is necessary to find out which component causes the reaction and completely stop using it (elimination method). In case of lactase deficiency, it is worth limiting foods with milk sugar and considering the possibility of using enzyme replacement therapy (Lactazar).

Nutrition correction

If a person discovers sensitivity to caffeine-containing drinks, he should follow the diet for several days. Excluded:

• 
  fatty, fried, smoked, spicy foods;

• excess sugar;
• baked goods, legumes, nuts, peanuts;
• products with caffeine (all drinks that contain this component, as well as chocolate bars, cookies, etc.).

During the period of acute diarrhea, preference should be given to mucous soups, lean meats, boiled rice, dried bread and biscuits. Fruits and vegetables, dairy products and packaged juices are excluded.

If you have diarrhea, drink enough fluids to prevent dehydration.

Boiled or mineral still water and herbal tea are suitable (as tolerated). After normalization of the condition, nutrition is planned in accordance with the main pathology (allergies, lactase deficiency).

Drug therapy

For mild disorders, it is not used, but if bowel movements are repeated too often and threaten dehydration, and bloating causes significant discomfort, symptomatic drugs are used:

1. Sorbents with antidiarrheal effect (Smecta, Enterosgel).
2. Carminatives – that is, drugs used for flatulence (Simethicone, Espumisan).
3. Peristalsis inhibitors (Loperamide, Imodium).

With frequent episodes of diarrhea, rehydration solutions may be needed (Ionica, Gastrolit). They are drunk to eliminate dehydration. However, if the patient does not feel thirsty, maintains his appetite and usual diet, his skin does not become dry, there is no dizziness, or repeated vomiting, then you can do without them. At the same time, you should drink enough water and get fluids from soups and other dishes in the daily menu.

Traditional recipes for stopping diarrhea

In addition to standard pharmaceutical remedies, during frequent bowel movements you can try the following remedies:

1. Rice porridge and rice water. You can simply cook rice porridge and eat a few spoonfuls without anything. Make rice water correctly: add a few tablespoons of pre-soaked rice to half a liter of boiling water and cook over low heat for about 50 minutes. The cooled broth should be strained through a sieve and taken about 150 ml up to four times a day.
2. Oak bark is used not only in dentistry and gynecology, but also helps with severe diarrhea. Here you can prepare infusions and decoctions.
3. Hard-boiled egg yolk.
4. Half a glass of oak bark is poured with a glass of boiling water and boiled over low heat for up to half an hour. Take the cooled and strained decoction, 2 tablespoons three times a day.
5. Strong tea for diarrhea is the most popular folk recipe. Tea should be taken pure without additives or impurities. Pour twice as much tea leaves into a cup as you are used to and pour boiling water over it. You can drink it either cold or warm, but without sugar.

As you can see, diarrhea is simply a signal of disturbances in the body or indicates an incorrect diet on your part. Do not drink low-quality coffee, and do not overuse this drink on an empty stomach. Frequent bowel movements are a cause for concern, you need to take medicine and even consult a doctor.