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If you drink coffee regularly, it appears to alter not only your gut bacteria but also the physiology of the gut itself. That is the conclusion of a study from the University of Copenhagen, which may help point the way toward better treatments for constipation. The study is published in the journal Gut Microbiology.

A research team from the University of Copenhagen asked a group of Danish participants to swallow a small electronic capsule. As it traveled through the digestive tract, the capsule measured, among other things, transit time through the gastrointestinal system, temperature, pH levels and intestinal contractions.

The participants, 61 healthy Danish adults, were categorized into frequent coffee drinkers, defined as consuming between one and five cups a day on more than three of the eight study days, and those who drank coffee less often.

The results first and foremost confirmed that coffee affects the composition of gut bacteria, as previous studies have suggested. Frequent coffee drinkers had a greater diversity of microorganisms in their gut than those who drank coffee less often.

"But perhaps more importantly, frequent coffee consumption appears to affect the physiology of the gut itself, in other words, how the gut functions," says first author Francesca Bucci, a Ph.D. student at the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports at the University of Copenhagen.

It is already well established that moderate coffee consumption is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression and several types of cancer.

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