Do Carbonated Beverages Make you Poop? (8 Reasons Why)

Much like the mystery behind the effect of coffee on your mood, there is much speculation about why do carbonated beverages such as coca-cola and pepsi make you feel like you want to poop.

Carbonated drinks like soda and sparkling water can cause gas production in your bowels, leading to an increase in bowel movements. This is why it is possible for carbonated beverages to make you poop.

Bubbles in these drinks form a temporary barrier in your stomach and slow down digestion, causing “flare-ups” and gas production in the lower intestine which makes people poop or feel like they have diarrhea.

Let’s find out more about carbonated drinks and how they affect our digestive system in the following sections.

Do Carbonated beverages make you poop?

Carbonated beverages contain an increased amount of carbon dioxide, which produces the fizz we see and feel when drinking one.

Drinks that have fizz can make you poop because of their contents, carbonation, and your body’s reaction to it.

Below are 8 reasons why carbonated beverages can make you poop.

Do carbonated beverages make you poop?

Here are eight reasons why carbonated drinks make you poop:

1. Fizzy drinks increase gas in your stomach

When you drink carbonated beverages, chances are you’re introducing more gas (carbon dioxide as they call it in science) in your gut.

This will make you feel full and bloated thus, having the urge to remove it inside your gut through flatulence often accompanied by poop.

2. High levels of fructose syrup is hard for the body to process

Let’s have a little Science trivia to understand this further.

There are different types of sugars we consume. But among those, glucose is the one we can readily digest to convert into energy.

On the other hand, fructose, found naturally in fruits, needs to undergo several processes in our body before using it as energy.

According to Healthline, high levels of fructose syrup in our beverages are not healthy because it changes the normal process of how we digest the sugar in our body.

high levels of fructose syrup is hard for the body to process

Studies have shown that high fructose consumption could lead to several diseases like diabetes.

Now, fructose found in fruits is another story. You won’t consume too much fruit in one sitting because it is high in fiber, thus making you full in no time.

Unlike fructose incorporated in our soft drinks, it tends to increase our appetite because our body needs a source of energy to convert it into energy.

It’s like a loop. It would help if you had the energy to convert fructose into energy thus, making you want more.

Our digestion tends to work more than usual, which eventually affects our bowel movement in the process.

You see, our body is complex. All processes happen simultaneously and not a one-way route only.

3. Artificial sweeteners are not absorbed in the body

Most carbonated drinks contain a lot of artificial sweeteners to enhance the flavoring of their products.

Artificial sweeteners are synthetic alternatives to natural sugars produced in the laboratory.

They are designed to have a more intense sweet taste than normal ones, making products more palatable.

The problem with artificial sweeteners is that our body is not designed to absorb such products. Therefore, it is all eliminated in the body because they serve no purpose.

The laxative effect of drinking carbonated beverages comes from your body’s need to poop out artificial sweetener you’ve taken in because it is not needed in your system.

4. Carbonated drinks may taste sweet but it’s acidic

Carbonated drinks may taste sweet but it's acidic

Increased acid in your stomach will alert your gut that something is digested and it needs to neutralize the acid.

When this happens, everything inside your intestine will also follow the order of pooping.

You see, our body’s processes work depending on triggers.

For example, when you inhale something, our response is to cover our nose or sneeze it out. It’s just our body’s way of maintaining balance.

5. Some carbonated drinks contains caffeine

Caffeine is a stimulant; therefore, it can stimulate our body, including our digestion, to become more alert and functional.

Some carbonated drinks, like energy drinks, have caffeine in them to increase the alertness of someone’s taking them.

Eventually, it will also affect their bowel movement, making them answer the call of nature as soon as possible.

6. Fiber-enriched sodas are available

In Japan, there’s a carbonated drink called Coca-Cola Plus advertised as a healthy drink.

It says that it has an indigestible fiber ingredient called dextrin.

Since indigestible products are not processed by our body to produce energy, they will pass through our gut and be eliminated in our poop.

7. You might have food intolerance or sensitivity to processed goods

Some people have a food intolerance or a food sensitivity that gives them an upset stomach.

You might have food intolerance or sensitivity to processed goods

When some people drink carbonated drinks, they’ll eventually feel bloated, gassy and experience pain or discomfort in their gut.

It is a sign that their body is not used to or not be able to tolerate the presence of what’s inside that drink. In turn, they experience an upset gut which makes them poop.

8. You might have an auto-immune disorders

Autoimmune disorders are genetic conditions where the patient’s own body attacks its own.

People with autoimmune disorders like irritable bowel disease are highly reactive to processed goods like carbonated drinks. Their body gets agitated and is inflamed when exposed to them.

When their body is inflamed, it’ll trigger other series of reactions in the body, such as vomiting, diarrhea, bloating, and abdominal pain.

Last Words

Pooping is our body’s natural process of removing unwanted things in our system.

Meanwhile, drinking carbonated drinks may cause pooping because of the body’s reaction to its contents and carbonation.

Limiting your carbonated drink, like sodas and energy drinks, intake would be beneficial on your part.

We may not feel the effects immediately, but over time those that drink carbonated beverages regularly may notice symptoms such as bloating, stomach discomfort, gas, and eventually metabolic diseases in the long run.

Moreover, it’s a processed good that should not be taken regularly because it harms the balance we have in our bodies.

Curious about how coke is different in McDonald’s, or are root beers allowed for kids?

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References:

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