Coffee and tea intake and the risk of IBS Original paper

This prospective cohort study reported an inverse dose-response relationship between coffee intake and the risk of irritable bowel syndrome, with a higher intake of coffee associated with a lower risk. Additionally, an intake of 0.5–1 cups/day of tea was associated with a lower risk of IBS.

The association between the intake of coffee (and different types of coffee, including decaffeinated, instant, and ground coffee) or tea and the risk of developing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

425,387 participants (average age of 56; 52.2% women, 47.8% men) without IBS at the start of the study and with no history of cancer, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), or celiac disease.

A large-scale prospective cohort study was conducted using data from the UK Biobank cohort, with a median follow-up period of approximately 12 years. Coffee and tea intake were estimated at the start of the study using an online questionnaire. Four categories of intake were specified: 0, 0.5–1, 2–3 and 4 or more cups per day (cups/day), with participants who consumed 0 cups of coffee/tea considered as the reference group.

In their analyses, the researchers made statistical adjustments to account for the effects of potential confounding factors, including age, sex, BMI, ethnicity, education level, smoking status, alcohol intake, dietary pattern, and physical activity.

Compared to the intake of 0 cups of coffee/day, the intake of 0.5–1, 2–3 and 4 or more cups/day was associated with 7%, 9%, and 19% lower risks of IBS, respectively. In subgroup analyses based on the type of coffee, the intake of instant or ground coffee was associated with a lower risk of IBS.

Compared to the intake of 0 cups of tea/day, the intake of 0.5–1 cups/day was associated with a 13% lower risk of IBS.