Coffee and heartburn have been related for so long that it goes without saying that chronic sufferers of acid indigestion usually have to give up this favorite beverage.
What is it that makes coffee so harmful for the digestive system? We all know the stomach needs acid to digest food, and we actually don’t feel anything wrong as long as this process operates normally.
But given the stimulation from caffeine, the stomach is forced to produce even more acid, which eventually culminates with a reflux in the esophagus. This is the “secret†mechanism behind the relationship between heartburn and coffee.
It’s true that decaffeinated coffee is not harmful for the digestive system, but many people usually drink coffee for the precise effect caffeine has on their blood pressure and brain stimulation. Are heartburn and coffee so closely associated that nothing could be done to have the good bits without the bad consequences?
First of all we should mention that those who suffer from coffee heartburns are chronic patients; unfortunately, studies show pessimistic results: in US for instance one in five coffee drinkers suffer from acid reflux. So is there a way for coffee to stop causing problems for people with heartburn?
In order to reduce the harmful effects of coffee of the digestive system, producers have come up with new technologies that made a successful attempt of breaking the connection between coffee and heartburn.
The secret lies in the coffee beans preparation process. Instead of roasting, a new method is used that involves passing the beans through high-pressured hot steam. Thus, the toxic substances that resulted after the roasting process, and which are the ones behind acid reflux stimulation, are completely eliminated. The technology is known under the name of Helva process and has been reported as a huge success on the market so far.
Doctors continuously warn against the dangers of heartburn in coffee drinking. Given the fact that heartburn has, as another underlying factor, the accumulation of stress and anxiety, this advice against drinking coffee is understandable.
Besides heartburn, coffee is said to contribute to the creation and maintenance of a stressful rhythm in the living conditions, hence, saying no to coffee means being free of several problems at once. Therefore, we could say that heartburn is only one of the many side effects to coffee drinking!
Thank you for this article. I’ve been a life-long coffee drinker and I’m just beginning to believe that coffee is over for me. Just recently, I’ve suffered really pain heartburn…and I’m thinking it must be the coffee.
I will look for the Helva process when purchasing coffee or stick to decaf…I wonder if Tea has the same negative effects…I guess I’ll have to Google that!
Thanks.
I’m currently researching tea and heartburn and will be featuring that in future articles, Deborah!
Revised Comment
Thank you for that article. I have been suffering with chest pains for two days. At first I thought I was leaning toward the big one. Then I remembered that I just had a physical and all my test came back with excellent results. Then I remembered that I’ve had this pain before and it was after drinking coffee. I drink two cups of coffee in the mornings–not all the time. I am an occasional coffee drinker. I remembered that these same pains pledged me before, but I am stumped somewhat between the coffee and the hot peppers I put on my foods. It may have been the combination of the two. The coffee is Yuban Organic Coffee and the peppers are Hot Pepper Flakes. I love them both–but now I know I may have to give one or both of them up. I was in so much discomfort today. I am still having a little bit of the pain now, but it is not as bad. I was so close to going to the emergency room earlier today, but my internal instincts decided to wait it out. I took some Mylanta and I did get some relief. I did not know that coffee give you heartburn however, I did know that too many hot pepper flakes can hurt you some. I love them both. It may have been the combination of both. Any suggestions? I will look for the Helva?
i have suffered with acid reflux for years. i have also been a coffee drinker since i can remember. once i gave up coffee i was able to give up Nexium and other proton pump inhibitors as well. i used to take Aciphex, Prevacid, and Zegrid. i don’t drink coffee anymore, and have absolutely no acid reflux.
Decaf coffee also causes heartburn. The excessive over drinking of coffee causes uric acid problems in the body, adrenal fatigue, and the leaching of minerals.
A few things to watch out for are a chronic cough that won’t go away as this is believed to be the acid reflux coming up into the esophagus and then back down with some dripping into your lungs, irritating your lungs, causing a chronic cough as you try to constantly cough it out. If you can’t talk without coughing, it could be a sign of this.
Some people are drinking one or two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to get rid of their heartburn as posted on the earthclinic website. Personally though I think the best solution as I read from one book, is to up your vegetable intake and try to get 35 grams of fiber a day. Cut back on fruits and focus primarily on vegetables to get the vitamins without the added sugar. Also to help with digestive problems, maybe some acidophilus, 1 billion strength with the highest cfu. It’s been confirmed by doctors that h pylori is responsible for stomach ulcers and stomach ulcers are now bacteria related as well as aspirin NSAIDs related. It’s hard to believe but research this. Therefore you actually do need good bacteria like acidophilus to fight it off if you fear stomach ulcers as well or want to simply improve digestion.
The info above is after hours and hours of research, so hope it might benefit some people.
You first state in your article that it is caffeine the chemical responsible for the increase in heartburn. Later, you invoke some “toxic substances”, which the Helva process removes, as the cause of heartburn.
Thus, I’m lead to conclude from your article that the toxic substances are caffeine and that the Helva process removes caffeine from coffee. Not a great turnout unless you drink decaf
I thought it was the acid in the coffee (I.e., not the caffeine) that was the primary cause of the stomach distress. in any event, there is a new coffee that cuts the acid content by 50% and comes in decaf and regular versions and it works for me and lots of others who suffer from acid indigestion but don’t want to give up coffee. I get it at Walmart but I heard it’s also available at Krogers. The coffee is called Puroast Coffee.
Jose it’s not caffeine thats being removed it’s other enzymes present in the coffee beans that irritate the digestive tract and cause inflammation as well as increased acid production. The caffeine in coffee causes the lower esophageal sphincter to stay open and that combined with the increased acid production is what causes acid reflux/ heartburn.