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  • A lot of you folks out there are coffee lovers.

  • But aside from the buzz we get from a cup of Joe, there's often another noticeable side effect.

  • Why on earth does coffee make us have to poop?

  • So, it's widely understood that coffee has a laxative effect on some people.

  • What's not so clear is why?

  • For a while, people blamed caffeine but the same effect can be had from decaf as well.

  • Not to mention, people don't commonly have this sort of responds to energy drinks or sodas.

  • So, what else is going on in a cup of Joe?

  • When you drink coffee, it's acidic nature has an effect on your stomach.

  • Coffee cause the stomach to secrete a heightened level of gastric acid, a very acidic fluid that helps your body break down proteins.

  • Coffee also contains a compound called chlorogenic acid that increases stomach acid levels.

  • This boost in acidity can cause the stomach to dump its content more quickly into the intestines.

  • This could be one of many contributing factors.

  • It has been proven coffee affects the movement of the large intestine within four minutes of ingestion.

  • Similar with the way large meal does.

  • There are nearly 1000 different compounds found inside a cup of coffee.

  • And while scientists can be certain that at least one of these is the culprit.

  • They still aren't quite sure which triggers the digestive call of arms.

  • On the other hand, they do have a sense of what the mystery chemical or chemicals are actually doing once inside your guts.

  • The body produces these two hormones to help digest food.

  • The consumption of coffee decaf or not has been shown to increase the levels of these compounds produced antibodies enhancing their general effects.

  • Gastrin is a hormone that's released help keep the colon up and running at full speed.

  • To do that, gastrin activates a process called peristalsis.

  • The relaxation and contraction of muscles that happens in waves to help move waste to its final destination.

  • Cholecystokinin also causes the release of digestive enzymes and bile which help regulate the process of poop.

  • By the way, this pooping effect has been shown to only occur in about three-tenths of the population.

  • So consider yourself special if you're one of those three.

  • So, we've kind of got an answer but like many things in the scientific world, we need more time and more science to get the story straight.

  • Got any chemistry questions post them down there in the comments.

  • Interested in learning more about poop, check out Gross Science for their video and what we can learn from ancient poop.

  • Also make sure to check out Inside Science TV's new video on how visual illusions work.

  • Don't forget to subscribe and hit thumbs up button on the way out.

A lot of you folks out there are coffee lovers.

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