Gastroenterologist warns against relying on ‘tea or coffee’ for morning bowel movements: ‘When your body becomes conditioned to caffeine for stimulation…’

Many people rely on a morning cup of tea or coffee to ‘wake up’ their system, but according to Dr Susheel Sharma, a gastroenterologist and therapeutic GI endoscopist based in Dehradun, this habit might not be doing your gut any favours.

In an Instagram post, Dr Sharma warned against depending on caffeine for bowel movements. “The tea you drink stimulates your colon, and over time, you start depending on it. You feel like you can’t go without it,” he said. He explained that both tea and coffee “contain caffeine, which increases acid secretion , especially when consumed on an empty stomach. This can irritate the stomach’s inner lining and, in the long run, increase the chances of acidity, bloating, and even conditions like IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome).”

Over time, Dr Sharma added, re