Regular coffee drinking linked to changes in gut motility and microbiome

A scientific study carried out by the University of Copenhagen has found that drinking coffee regularly may affect the functioning of the digestive system, especially bowel movements and colon contractions and is also linked to greater diversity of gut bacteria.The study was published in the journal "Gut Microbiology", which specialises in research on gut microorganisms, and aimed to explore the relationship between habitual coffee consumption and the physiological conditions inside the digestive system.What does coffee do inside your digestive system?The research team used a small electronic capsule that participants swallowed to track the changes that occurred as it travelled through the digestive system.The capsule measured a set of indicators, including the time it took contents to pass through the gastrointestinal tract, temperature, acidity levels and intestinal contractions.The study involved 61 healthy adults in Denmark, whom the researchers divided into two groups according to how much coffee they consumed.The first group consisted of people who drank between one and five cups of coffee a day on more than three of the eight days covered by the study, while the second group comprised people who drank coffee less frequently.The results showed that people who consume coffee regularly have greater diversity in the microorganisms present in their intestines compared with participants who drink less coffee.This finding is consistent with research suggesting that coffee…