Is Coffee Bad For Colitis?

Nearly 1.4 million Americans have some form of inflammatory bowel disease, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. There's no known cure for colitis, an often painful and debilitating condition, which is one reason those who have it sometimes turn to diet to combat symptoms. Although it has been suggested that coffee and caffeine worsen colitis, research is inconclusive.

Identification

Ulcerative colitis is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that leads to chronic inflammation of the colon and rectum. Symptoms vary, depending on the type of colitis you have, but the most common include lower abdominal pain, cramping, diarrhea and bloody stools. The cause of colitis is unknown, although it may be hereditary or triggered by an infection. Treatment with prescription medications or surgery may lead to long-term remission.

Diet and Colitis

There have been no proven links to foods that consistently cause inflammatory bowel disease or make symptoms worse. Certain types of foods can aggravate your symptoms, though, and it may help to keep a food diary to discover your own personal triggers. The Mayo Clinic website notes that beverages containing caffeine, including caffeinated coffee, stimulate your intestines and can make gas and diarrhea worse.

Neutral Coffee Effects

Scientists at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center studied the use of coffee and alcohol among patients with ulcerative colitis. Their research, published in 1989 in the "American Journal of Gastroenterology," looked at more than 300,000 people in a prepaid health plan. Nearly 210 were ulcerative-colitis patients. The researchers concluded that coffee-drinking habits were not a factor in the development of colitis.

Negative Coffee Effects

Researchers in Scotland conducted a study of colitis patients to determine which foods might be related to the disease. They focused on foods that were considered anti-thiamine, or those that countered the actions of thiamine in the body. This is important, because thiamine, also called vitamin B1, is sometimes used to help treat colitis. The study results, published in February 2005 in the journal "Nutrition," found that coffee was among those foods with anti-thiamine effects, although decaffeinated coffee had less of an negative impact.
While enemas have long been used for bowel cleansing and constipation, the use of coffee in enemas was first practiced in the early 20th century and included in the "Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy" until 1972. A study published in October 2008 in the "Korean Journal of Gastroenterology" reported the case of one patient using a coffee enema who developed acute colitis.

Beneficial Coffee Effects

One project in Sweden, published in the January 1992 issue of "Epidemiology," found that coffee drinking seemed to provide some sort of protection against colitis, although the researchers were careful to note that this decreased risk was not as pronounced when figures were adjusted to include smoking habits.