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Why Does Coffee Make Me Nauseous?
Let's discuss all the possible reasons why coffee makes you feel sick
Published December 27, 2021
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Vasileia Fanarioti
Coffee experts@The Coffee Lab
Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world. With more than 5 billion cups of coffee consumed every day, it is not an understatement to say that everyone has their favorite coffee. Whether you like a cup of Colombian, a cappuccino or an espresso shot, each person has their own reason for enjoying the taste and smell of coffee.
However, there are people who are not able to enjoy this popular beverage due to its effects on them. These are people who experience nausea and other digestive discomfort when they drink coffee or even consume foods with caffeine in them.
Today I will explore why that is and how you can avoid coffee intolerance by following a few simple tips.
Why does coffee make me feel sick?
Why is it that you sometimes suffer from coffee intolerance, but on other days you can drink coffee without experiencing symptoms? Let’s explore the possibilities.
As far as women are concerned, the diamine oxidase level in women with PMS is lower in the second half of the cycle than in the first half of the cycle. Caffeine also blocks the enzyme diamine oxidase (alcohol and some drugs as well, by the way).
In order to avoid complaints about coffee intolerance, people suffering from PMS should therefore limit their coffee consumption in the second half of the cycle. Of course, this is easier said than done, as regular coffee drinkers develop a certain dependence on caffeine.
Furthermore, people with histamine intolerance generally do not have enough of the important enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO), or there is an unbalanced relationship between DAO and biogenic amines.
Many of those affected by this syndrome suffer from general coffee intolerance, as the caffeine blocks the DAO and the coffee itself contains biogenic amines, which require the enzyme DAO to break down, due to the molds, which are also found in the cleanest coffee powder.
If you have thyroid problems, you may also be intolerant to coffee. This is because coffee hinders the conversion of T4 to T3 thyroid hormones. Therefore, patients should take the hormone replacement at least one to two hours before their first coffee of the day.
Symptoms of Coffee Intolerance
There are many symptoms that may indicate your body is intolerant to coffee. In addition to the tremors, sweating and nausea already mentioned, symptoms such as diarrhea, increased pulse, frequent urination, heartburn (you have to burp acidic), nervousness, insomnia or difficulty falling asleep and a “nervous stomach” can indicate a coffee intolerance or too much coffee indicate.
At a correspondingly high dose, people with a corresponding predisposition can even experience psychotic symptoms due to a higher dopamine level. In a milder form with rising body heat, nervousness or a particularly cheerful mood, one speaks of coffee intoxication.
Coffee can be associated with symptoms not only for women with PMS or histamine intolerance, but also for people with blood group 0. The latter should generally avoid coffee according to the blood group diet, as they already have sufficient stomach acid and additional coffee could harm the stomach.
Even people who tend to suffer from insomnia or nervousness should consume coffee carefully or avoid it.
What helps against Coffee Intolerance?
Here are some tips that will help you avoid coffee intolerance by making a few small changes to your daily coffee routine:
- Have you tried espresso before? Many people who react to coffee with symptoms such as heartburn or other stomach ailments can tolerate real espresso, as it contains less acid due to the much shorter preparation time.
- The hotter the coffee is brewed, the higher its acidity. It is therefore advisable for people with coffee intolerance to try out whether they can tolerate coffee that has been prepared at a lower temperature.
- If you are sensitive to caffeine, you could use decaffeinated coffee.. A disadvantage of decaffeinated coffee, however, is that the solvent that is used to dissolve the caffeine cannot always be completely removed. Decaffeinated coffee made from raw materials that are caffeine-free from the outset are the better choice in terms of additives, even if you have to get used to the changed taste of coffee made from rye, malt or lupins.
- If you have a nervous stomach, try low-irritant coffee. Low-irritant coffee is obtained by reducing the outer wax content of the coffee bean using solvents and steam. However, this treatment does not change the caffeine content, so people with caffeine intolerance are not helped with low-irritant coffee.
- Avoid drinking coffee on an empty stomach. The acid contained in coffee attacks the stomach lining;
- Instant coffee can sometimes contain mold - If you are sensitive to mold, you better switch to other types of coffee or caffeine tablets if you do not want to miss your dose of caffeine.
- Try to find out which type of coffee or how it is brewed you are less sensitive to. The individual types of coffee can contain different amounts of acid or irritants. In addition, the type and amount of additives to which many people are sensitive varies depending on the quality of the respective type of coffee.
- Drinking stomach-friendly coffee helps against coffee intolerance. If you want filter coffee instead of espresso, then arabica beans are the best choice. Due to their geographical origin from high altitudes, they are usually milder and contain less acid. In contrast, Robusta has 4 to 7 percent more chlorogenic acid and is less stomach-friendly.
- A coffee intolerance can also be due to the precarious hygienic conditions of the coffee pod machine. On many models, some parts cannot be cleaned properly. In this case, the only thing that helps is buying a new machine or switching to instant coffee.
- As with many other things, it is important to find out the personal optimal amount of coffee for you. Coffee intolerance is not the same as a coffee allergy, it depends on the amount. A tolerance development is also possible. If your best friend can drink 5 cups of coffee without experiencing any discomfort, this does not necessarily have to be the case for other people.
Final Thoughts
The symptoms of coffee intolerance vary from person to person. Fortunately, there are a few methods that can be used to combat the effects of coffee intolerance.
The best tips against coffee intolerance include espresso, decaffeinated and stomach-friendly coffee. In addition, the preparation plays a decisive role, which you should do as quickly as possible and less hot. After that, you too can hopefully enjoy your coffee carefree again!
About the author
Vasileia Fanarioti
My name is Vasileia and I’m here because i decided to combine my two favourite things: writing and coffee. I love travelling around the world and visiting coffee shops but my biggest goal is to visit a coffee farm, to see where it all starts! You can follow my coffee adventures via my blog: thewanderingbean.net
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