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Black coffee, a simple beverage that has been the go-to brew enjoyed by millions worldwide to kick-start their day, recently found itself in the middle of a debate sparked by actor Varun Dhawan’s comments during a podcast. Speaking to content creator and podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia, the actor said that drinking black coffee negatively impacted his gut.
“See, if you get up in the morning and start with only black coffee, even if you don’t have gut trouble, you will start having,” Dhawan stated. The actor, who claimed that starting the day with only black coffee will cause a lot of acidity, further insisted that one must have something after waking up in the morning before sipping on a cup, while adding that coffee is fake energy.
The podcast, uploaded on Youtube on December 19, 2024, has the actor speaking about why he stopped consuming the drink from the 40:28 mark.
What Does Coffee Do To Us?
Coffee, a complex mixture of more than 800 volatile compounds where caffeine and chlorogenic acids are the most common, was found to have a positive effect in preventing several chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes mellitus and liver conditions. Also, along with helping you feel less tired and more alert, the caffeine in coffee is said to improve your mood, brain function, and exercise performance.
So, what effect does coffee exactly have on our body?
Dr Nikhil Suraj, specialist medical gastroenterologist at the NMC Specialty Hospital in Oman tells Newschecker, “When food arrives in the stomach, gastric glands secrete hydrochloric acid and enzymes, such as pepsine, chymosine, and lipase, that initiate the digestion of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids. Coffee (via caffeine and other components, mainly polyphenols) stimulates the secretion and production of gastrin and hydrochloric acid.”
Coffee also plays a role in stool movement. “Two hormones coffee boosts — gastrin and cholecystokinin — trigger the so‑called gastrocolic reflex, prompting the colon to contract and move waste through the rectum. Since colon contractions tend to be strongest in the morning anyway, drinking coffee plays into this natural digestive process. This hormonal action is specific to coffee, not tea or other drinks, but coffee’s caffeine content heightens this effect by increasing colon contractions and stool movement. For some people, this can happen within minutes; for others, it might take hours — or not happen at all,” reads an article published in Harvard Health.
In addition, the caffeine from coffee is well known to increase heart rate and blood pressure. And if you drink it too close to bedtime, it can disrupt your sleep.
“Coffee in the morning on an empty stomach may upset your circadian rhythm and may lead to stress due to release of cortisol hormone,” Dr Suraj adds.
So, Does Coffee Cause Acidity?
Yes … but there’s more to it.
Dr Saroj Dubey, senior consultant gastroenterologist in Kailash Hospital, Noida, tells Newschecker that coffee, tea and citrus drinks are known to increase the risk of acid reflux and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) [a chronic, more severe form of acid reflux]. Acid reflux occurs when stomach acid flows back into the esophagus through the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), which separates the stomach from the esophagus.
“Coffee has been hypothesised to diminish basal LES pressure, which would lead to gastroesophageal reflux and heartburn [a symptom of acid reflux]. A sustained decrease in LES tone was found, whether or not the coffee contained caffeine,” says Dr Suraj.
‘Not fair to generalise’: Doctors
Dr Meenakshi Bajaj, dietitian, Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital, Chennai, says that while caffeine in coffee can stimulate gastritis, it is not fair to generalise. “Anything, whether it be black tea or black coffee or strong coffee, if consumed on an empty stomach, will worsen gastritis [inflammation of stomach lining], because it is one thing that it is taken hot in the morning, while the second thing is that the caffeine [a naturally occurring stimulant] can stimulate gastritis.”
“But, there is a healthy population who may consume black tea or coffee, but they live a stress-free life, they meditate, and they consume a lot of neutralisers like milk, curd, buttermilk; they eat healthy, they don’t have late-night dinners, they don’t consume too much of alcohol, so all those things play a very important role with respect to gut health,” she adds.
Dr Suraj, too, tells us that one cannot make a blanket statement on the effect of coffee on the stomach. “Drinking coffee for an extended period and continuously with more than three glasses per day can irritate the gastric mucosa [mucous membrane lining the stomach], leading to gastritis and recurrence of gastritis. But some people may not experience gastritis or peptic ulcer even after consuming coffee on an empty stomach and or after taking more than three cups. So, if you have a history of ulcer or reflux then it is advisable not to take coffee on an empty stomach,” says the doctor.
Research is limited
Dr Suraj tells Newschecker that sound evidence and reviews to support the belief that coffee affects gastrointestinal health are lacking. “Literature evidence on coffee and health generally were more dictated by the epidemiological data and are lacking experimental evidence,” he says, adding that the limitation of most studies is that endoscopy examination is not used for gastritis diagnosis due to resource limitations.
A February 15, 2024 article by Texas-based healthcare system, Baylor Scott & White Health, says that consuming the beverage on an empty stomach substantially raises the risk of developing gastritis and associated complications. According to the article, it may also temporarily boost cortisol, the stress hormone, which could cause feelings of anxiety or restlessness. However, for most people, having coffee on an empty stomach does not pose major health concerns.
Meanwhile, another medically reviewed Healthline article, dated January 13, 2024, research fails to find a strong link between coffee and digestive troubles — regardless of whether you drink it on an empty stomach.
However, the article states that it’s important to pay attention to how your body responds. “If you experience digestive issues after drinking coffee on an empty stomach but not when drinking it with a meal, consider adjusting your intake accordingly,” read the article, stating that although coffee increases the production of stomach acid, it doesn’t appear to cause digestive issues for most people.
Dr Trisha Pasricha, a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, wrote an article in The New York Times on January 17, 2023, on how the idea of taking a sip of coffee without food could harm your gut — or contribute to other ills like bloating, acne, hair loss, anxiety, thyroid issues or painful periods — as incredulity.
“While certain irritants can make the stomach more vulnerable to acid and ulcer formation, multiple large studies have found that this is not the case with coffee. A 2013 study of more than 8,000 people living in Japan, for example, found no significant association between coffee consumption and ulcer formation in the stomach or intestine — even among those who drank three or more cups per day,” read the article, further quoting Dr Byron Cryer, chief of internal medicine at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, who said, “Coffee, even in a concentrated form, is not likely to cause objective injury to the stomach. And much less at the typical doses in usual beverages.”
Nonetheless, coffee does have an effect on the gut — it can speed up the colon and induce a bowel movement, and coffee increases acid production in the stomach. But these changes are temporary, the article quotes Dr Cryer as saying. Meanwhile, Kim Barrett, a professor of physiology and membrane biology at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine, was quoted saying that drinking coffee on an empty stomach is unlikely to cause any damage to your stomach, but it could theoretically provoke heartburn.

Listen To Your Body
A nutritionist, Prashant Desai, had called out Varun Dhawan’s comments while reportedly reposting the podcast segment on his Instagram stories, writing that not everyone would have the same gut issues. “C’mon Varun, really? This is so not true. I have been having black coffee for 15 years now after waking up, on an empty stomach. No issues whatsoever. What is true is that everyone’s gut is different like your fingerprint. But to say everyone will have gut issues and acidity is not true. Varun Dhawan may have had acidity and so be it. Food is personal. What doesn’t work for someone doesn’t make it a universal truth,” stated Desai.
“As a gastroenterologist, I usually tell my patients to take note of their symptoms. If they consistently notice a burning pain in their chest or a sour taste in their mouth after drinking coffee, they may want to cut down — or consider an antacid. Adding a splash of milk or cream or a small bite of food with your morning cup can also help. But if you aren’t noticing any symptoms, you’re probably someone who doesn’t experience significant reflux after coffee and can keep drinking it in peace,” wrote Dr Pasricha in her NYT article.
To conclude, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to whether coffee affects your digestive health as experts agree that the impact may vary significantly from person to person: some may experience acidity or discomfort, while others may not. Also, despite some studies suggesting a link between coffee and digestive issues, there is a lack of strong conclusive evidence. What is more important though is listening to your body and how it reacts to the beverage, which will help you consider drinking it with food or reducing the intake.
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