Hardly a week goes by that we don’t hear news about the next “best” food for your gut. Here at EndoMune, we keep up with these developments pretty regularly because you never know when a patient will ask us, Is this really true? Well, a patient quizzed us recently about the benefits of drinking coffee related to the gut, so we did some research. You may be surprised about the answer.

Does coffee drinking matter?

Curious about the benefits of coffee consumption, scientists at Baylor College of Medicine analyzed the gut health of 34 patients in a unique way by collecting several colon biopsies during their colonoscopies.

Patients also answered questionnaires that determined if they drank coffee containing more or less than 82.9 milligrams of caffeine per day. (The average 8-ounce cup contains 95 milligrams.)

Based on the health of colon samples and self-reported coffee consumption, patients who downed at least two cups of coffee every day had healthier gut microbiomes than those who drank less than that or none at all.

Heavy coffee drinkers had more diverse gut bacteria, and it was more evenly distributed in the large intestine. Additionally, the guts of heavy coffee drinkers were less likely to contain a strain of bacteria linked to obesity and metabolic problems (Erysipelatoclostridium).

Just because you CAN drink coffee…

Some experts believe coffee can make a gut-healthy difference thanks to the polyphenols and antioxidants it contains, just as they do in plant foods.

What about the side effects of drinking too much coffee?

Just as we reminded you often about foods celebrated for their “probiotic” benefits — walnuts, almonds, and dark chocolate — it’s all about moderation.

Overdoing it on coffee, with its high acid content, can lead to more gut health problems (heartburn and IBS) than benefits.

The best advice I can give you: Your gut must be healthy first before you can take advantage of any small benefits coffee or any other food may provide.

One of the most important things you can do to improve your gut health right now is taking a probiotic formulated with multiple strains of beneficial bacteria.

Our multi-strain probiotic, EndoMune Advanced Probiotic, is uniquely fortified with ten strains of beneficial bacteria and 30 billion CFUs plus a proven prebiotic (FOS) that does the dirty work behind the scenes to feed the good bacteria living in your gut.

References

• WebMD
• ResearchGate
• Medical News Today
• MedicineNet
• Healthline