“The main symptoms of the syndrome are abdominal pain, bloating, cramping, constipation and/or diarrhea. “IBS is often accompanied by severe flatulence and affects women more often than men, but it does not increase a person’s risk of developing colon cancer,” points out Mr. Eumenis P. Karafyllidis BSC (HONS), MSC, NYSCDN Clinical Dietitian – Nutritionist, Director of Dietetics Department Metropolitan General and continues:

“Drinking coffee may help protect against the development of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or relieve its symptoms for some people, according to a new meta-analysis published in the journal Nutrients in 2023.

According to the meta-analysis, which included data from 432,022 participants in eight different studies, it appeared that coffee drinkers were 16% less likely to develop irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) than people who did not drink coffee. This is true for people who drink any amount of coffee at regular intervals.

The analysis was based on eight studies that met the investigators’ criteria and were selected from an initial pool of 187 studies from the EMBASE, PubMed and Cochrane Library databases up to 31 March 2023.

The meta-analysis suggested that the contradictory findings of previous studies, that coffee acts in a harmful way in irritable bowel syndrome, may be related to the complexity of coffee. More specifically, coffee contains over a hundred compounds, which can vary significantly depending on their origin, roasting method and preparation method.

Not all parameters are always considered in all studies. In addition, the connection between coffee and the syndrome has to do with the bioactive molecules of coffee, as it is a beverage rich in bioactive substances, such as polyphenol diterpenes, trigonelline and melanoidins. These substances have antioxidant, anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as an effect on gut microflora, bile acids, gut motility and intestinal permeability. These properties can potentially have a beneficial impact on IBS,” he says.

But why isn’t coffee good for everyone’s gut health?

Gastroenterologist Dr. Babak Firoozi, who was not involved in this research but was asked to comment on the study’s results, claimed that, “of the eight studies included in the meta-analysis, three showed that coffee promotes irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).” . As he said, “all three studies were cross-sectional, where cross-sectional studies only find correlations and cannot prove a causal relationship between the parameters under consideration.” He explained that, “the results of these three studies may not be so surprising, given that coffee can sometimes disrupt digestion and is a powerful laxative due to the bioactive compounds it contains.”

“Not only caffeine, but also other molecules in coffee, promote bowel movements through increased intestinal transit. So, in some patients with diarrhea as the predominant symptom in IBS, coffee may not be beneficial and could actually worsen the symptoms,” emphasizes Mr. Karafyllidis and adds:

“For patients with fatty liver disease, at least one cup of coffee each day is recommended, as coffee reduces fibrosis in the liver and helps prevent gallstone formation.”

“Overall, the current evidence suggests a possible protective effect of coffee on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). We know that coffee consumption is safe at permissible and defined levels of consumption and may have benefits for gut health, which should be further studied in large prospective cohort studies,” concludes Mr. Karafyllidis.