When you have irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, you experience colon spasms, along with diarrhea, constipation, abdominal cramps, bloating and excess gas. IBS is considered a functional disorder, which means there's nothing really physically wrong with your colon that causes it to spasm. Although medications can relieve the symptoms of IBS, you may find that eliminating certain foods, such as coffee, offers you some relief as well.
Background
Up to 20 percent of Americans may suffer from IBS, and women seem to be diagnosed with the condition more frequently than men, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. The colon spasms that mark IBS don't damage your colon, nor will they lead to more serious conditions such as cancer. However, some sufferers find that their condition significantly impacts their quality of life and their ability to travel and work.
Diet
It's not clear whether coffee itself causes colon spasms in people with IBS, or whether the caffeine in your daily cup of coffee triggers those spasms. However, many IBS sufferers find that eliminating caffeine completely can help alleviate their spasms. Caffeinated coffee, because it's a laxative, can also contribute to diarrhea. Other people with IBS find that coffee -- whether it's caffeinated or decaffeinated -- seems to irritate their colons.
Strategies
If you're experiencing severe colon spasms, you may want to consider dropping coffee, at least temporarily, to see if that helps to alleviate your symptoms. If it does, you'll want to determine if you're sensitive to the caffeine or to the coffee itself. Try a limited amount of decaffeinated coffee to see whether it bothers your colon. If it doesn't, you may want to switch to decaf permanently to control those spasms. If your problem seems to be coffee itself, you may want to try switching to caffeinated tea -- a lower caffeine beverage -- to see if your symptoms remain under control.
Considerations
People who experience severe colon spasms often find they need to eliminate foods and beverages other than coffee. For example, fatty foods, dairy products, red meat and artificial sweeteners all cause symptoms in some people. Chocolate may trigger colon spasms, and alcohol and even carbonated sodas can cause IBS symptoms in some people. You may need to play detective -- with the help of your physician -- to determine which foods you need to avoid to get the best control of your symptoms.
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