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Coffee and Crohn’s Disease: Is It Safe?
Coffee isn’t automatically “bad” for Crohn’s disease, but it can be problematic for some people with the condition.
“Crohn’s disease is a spectrum — depending on the location and severity of disease, patients can have different symptoms and reactions to foods,” she says. “The fact is that coffee contains caffeine, which is a stimulant. That means if you are prone to diarrhea, you will have more stools. If you have a stricture, it can cause worse pain and cramping.”
If you have ulcers, drinking coffee is like pouring acid on them, says Kendra Weekley, RD, a registered dietitian at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, where she focuses on gut health and works with people with Crohn’s disease within the hospital’s inflammatory bowel disease medical home.
Mix in common additives like cream or sugar, and you’ve got more potential triggers. “Now you have coffee stimulating motility, added sugars and dairy stimulating motility, and the existing inflammation working against you,” Weekley says. “That’s a recipe for stomach pain and more loose and urgent stools.”
If your symptoms are well controlled and you don’t notice any issues after drinking it, you may not need to avoid it altogether. But if it makes your gut feel worse, especially right after drinking, that’s a sign to cut back or stop.
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