Is it true that … coffee aids digestion?

Caffeine can improve the digestive system and lead to better gut health, but try to avoid it after noon or if you have irritable bowels

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s sipping a coffee after a heavy meal actually good for helping you digest it? “For some people, absolutely,” says Dr Emily Leeming, a dietitian at King’s College London. “But it’s not always a good idea.”

Caffeine stimulates the gut, increasing muscle contractions, she says, which for many people helps food move through the digestive system “at a nice pace” before being excreted.

“If you’ve got a slightly sluggish digestion, that can be helpful,” she says. “But for others – if you have irritable bowel syndrome, for example – it can backfire, speeding things up too much and making digestion uncomfortable.”