But aside from the buzz we get from a cup of Joe, there's often another noticeable side effect.

Why on earth does coffee make us have to poop?

So, it's widely understood that coffee has a laxative effect on some people.

What's not so clear is why?

For a while, people blamed caffeine but the same effect can be had from decaf as well.

Not to mention, people don't commonly have this sort of responds to energy drinks or sodas.

So, what else is going on in a cup of Joe?

When you drink coffee, it's acidic nature has an effect on your stomach.

Coffee cause the stomach to secrete a heightened level of gastric acid, a very acidic fluid that helps your body break down proteins.

Coffee also contains a compound called chlorogenic acid that increases stomach acid levels.

This boost in acidity can cause the stomach to dump its content more quickly into the intestines.

This could be one of many contributing factors.

It has been proven coffee affects the movement of the large intestine within four minutes of ingestion.

Similar with the way large meal does.

There are nearly 1000 different compounds found inside a cup of coffee.

And while scientists can be certain that at least one of these is the culprit.

They still aren't quite sure which triggers the digestive call of arms.

On the other hand, they do have a sense of what the mystery chemical or chemicals are actually doing once inside your guts.

The body produces these two hormones to help digest food.

The consumption of coffee decaf or not has been shown to increase the levels of these compounds produced antibodies enhancing their general effects.

Gastrin is a hormone that's released help keep the colon up and running at full speed.

To do that, gastrin activates a process called peristalsis.

The relaxation and contraction of muscles that happens in waves to help move waste to its final destination.

Cholecystokinin also causes the release of digestive enzymes and bile which help regulate the process of poop.

By the way, this pooping effect has been shown to only occur in about three-tenths of the population.

So consider yourself special if you're one of those three.

So, we've kind of got an answer but like many things in the scientific world, we need more time and more science to get the story straight.

Got any chemistry questions post them down there in the comments.

Interested in learning more about poop, check out Gross Science for their video and what we can learn from ancient poop.

Also make sure to check out Inside Science TV's new video on how visual illusions work.

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