Drinking coffee and IBS

Cupoftea3000

Does anyone else have trouble with certain sources of coffee and IBS symptoms? I find that McDonald's coffee, Circle K and Frank and Honest (SuperValu & Centra) trigger problems for me. Bewley's and Insomnia brands are fine. Up until about 2 years ago I used to drink McDonald's and Frank and Honest all the time. Did they change who roasted coffee beans for them?

On Saturday morning I ordered a breakfast meal from McD's and ordered a coffee by mistake (first time for a while). I drank it thought I'll take a chance. Today is Wednesday and l'm still suffering.

Tenzor07

Caffeine speeds up the movement of the Bowel, so the stronger the drink…..

Cupoftea3000

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122029813#Comment_122029813

But that isn't taking into account the bloating, etc..

Also why the change with McD's & Frank and Honest coffees?

Tenzor07

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122029993#Comment_122029993

I'm no Doctor but I'd be looking more at your own digestive health at this time than particular coffee suppliers, at the end of the day Coffee is Coffee with small differences such as "Mild roast" or "Dark roast" however i doubt that would cause such a difference to someone..

Cupoftea3000

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030031#Comment_122030031

Ah, but it is only certain coffee providers. I have an example of variations in coffee quality and preparation (& I am not saying that this is the case with the coffees that upset my stomach in the first post).

Back about 5 years ago I went to an independent coffee roaster in the North. He had been (no pun intended) a head roaster for one of the prominent coffee suppliers in Southern Ireland. He told myself and my boss that a certain coffee roaster in the South would buy his beans from a supplier in the UK and would look for the cheapest price possible. If the beans were mixed in colour (green, brown, etc.), whole or part beans and contaminated with mould, they would not care. They would heavily roast the beans to mask the quality and mould. The problem is that mycotoxins from the mould are not usually broken down by the roasting process. Hence potentially making people sick or triggering stomach problems.

Tenzor07

Like I mentioned, I'm no Doctor but could be a sensitivity to certain coffee bean blends.. Maybe swap your morning coffee for a peppermint tea for a while?

Cupoftea3000

Thanks for your concern and advice. Primarily I drink tea at home. Barry's all the way. I mostly drink coffee out of the home. Generally I have no problems with coffee from restaurants, pubs, etc.. I try to avoid certain places and brands as I have learnt through experience. Ponaire and Maxol's Rosa coffee I also have no problem with.

patsyrockem

Had stomach trouble myself, bloating especially. Had all the tests, nothing showed up but started looking at my diet. I was drinking loads of tea & coffee. A nurse recommended decaff, I started with coffee and eventually the tea and I have seen a huge improvement. I still drink the odd 'real' coffee but if I over indulge my tummy acts up again. My experience for what it's worth.

Cupoftea3000

Does anyone know who the coffee roasters are for McDonald's and Frank and Honest?

Mr Magnolia

There are so many variables that could influence IBS on any given day. Darker roasted coffee or robusta would have more of an effect that lighter roasted coffee or arabica theoretically I suppose... Coffee aside, the amount of water you've consumed in a day, when you drank it and in what volume, what you've had to eat, the volume of the food, combined pH level of the foods consumed, what you've consumed yesterday, and the day before, any medicines consumed, general health, the condition of your bowel on the day in question etc. will all have an effect and that's just the few bits I can think of and I'm no dietitian.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030515#Comment_122030515

I'm calling BS on this for a number of reasons. If the coffee was off and mouldy, you'd taste it in the cup plus no roaster would risk jeopardizing their business. All that aside, a quick google tells me micro-toxins are destructed at 150dC, coffee roasting is 180dC - 250dC

Lastly, medical advice is not permitted on the board so please don't stray into that territory.

Cupoftea3000

Whoops. My intention wasn't to suggest that McDonald's & Frank and Honest was loaded with Mycotoxins. I have a similar internal response to Guinness and Beamish yet I can drink Murphy's stout without any ill effect. I know to stay away from Guinness and Circle K coffee as it upsets MY stomach.

The conversation with the coffee roaster did actually happen. They named the company (& I now forget who it was) and I won't name the roaster that told me the story as they still produce coffee.

Mycotoxins are present in lots of coffee beans (and peanuts, for example aflatoxins) across the world. Proper storage, reducing moisture, roasting and brewing the coffee all help reduce or limit the levels of mycotoxins. If poor storage and handling of the beans occurs then moulds can flourish. Roasting and brewing coffee beans will reduce the mycotoxins but not eliminate them. The general rule is to keep levels below a certain threshold or permissible safe limits.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8555823/

"In general, fungal spore and mycelium are sensitive to coffee roasting temperature, while a significant portion of already synthesized mycotoxins are retained unchanged."

The above is a bit technical (published study) so a more readable example is below.

https://spiritanimalcoffee.com/blogs/spirit-animal-blog/mold-in-coffee

I am definitely not a doctor or a nutritionist but I do have an Applied Biological Sciences degree with majors in Microbiology and Biochemistry, so I have an inquisitive mind.