Cully study: Coffee has positive effects on digestive tract

Washington US January 23 ANI A recent clinical study found positive effects of coffee on digestion and the gut, and it protects against common digestive complaints such as gallstones as well as certain liver diseases.

The review of 194 research publications showed that moderate coffee consumption defined by EFSA as 3 -- 5 cups per day was not found to have harmful effects on the various organs of the digestive tract.

There is a correlation between coffee and a reduced risk of gallstones and evidence linking coffee consumption with a reduced risk of pancreatitis, although more research is still needed.

Coffee has three main impacts on its journey through the gastrointestinal tract:

Coffee is associated with gastric, biliary, and pancreatic secretions that are necessary for the digestion of food. Coffee was found to stimulate the production of the digestive hormone gastrin and the hydrochloric acid present in gastric juice - both of which help break down food in the stomach. Coffee also stimulates the secretion of cholecystokinin CCK, a hormone that increases the production of bile, which is also involved in indigestion.

Coffee appeared to be associated with changes in the composition of the gut microbiota. Coffee consumption in the reviewed studies has been found to cause changes in the composition of the gut microbiota, mainly at the population level of Bifidobacteria - a ubiquitous inhabitant of the gastrointestinal tract.

Coffee is associated with colon motility - the process by which food travels through the digestive tract. The data shows that coffee may stimulate motility in the colon as much as cereals, 23 per cent more than decaffeinated coffee or 60 per cent more than a glass of water, and it may be linked to a reduced risk of chronic constipation.

The latest research also supported the protective effect of coffee against liver diseases, including hepatocellular carcinoma, one of the most common types of liver cancer.

Despite the evidence to suggest that coffee consumption may support the first stages of digestion, most data did not support the finding that coffee had a direct effect on gastro-oesophageal reflux. This is a combination or additive effect of other risk factors, such as obesity and poor diet.