Many of our patients are curious about whether they can continue to drink coffee following their bariatric treatment. Yes, but in moderation as with many other often asked questions following surgery.

The effects of caffeine on post-bariatric patients’ comfort and ability to lose weight can both be detrimental.

Effects of caffeine after bariatric Surgery

• To start, caffeine is a diuretic, which means it removes water from the body and may result in dehydration. You must drink plenty of water in addition to any caffeinated beverages because it is crucial to your success after bariatric surgery.

Don’t think that drinking coffee or other caffeinated beverages alone will provide you with the recommended amount of water.

• Second, caffeine is frequently present in dietary-unfriendly meals and beverages. It can be found in many sodas, chocolates, and is frequently used with sugar in a standard cup of coffee or tea. Your daily calorie intake may increase by hundreds if you eat these.

Finally, consuming caffeinated beverages in higher concentrations and volumes can irritate the stomach pouch. Caffeinated, carbonated drinks can make the issue worse since the carbonation stretches the stomach pouch.

The Body’s Reaction to Caffeine

Your body is through a lot of changes following surgery. You should make every effort to aid in recovery and maintain a healthy diet. Caffeine may irritate certain people. Due to coffee’s acidic nature, your gut lining may take longer to repair.

This won’t just slow down the healing process; the inflammation may also cause ulcers and digestive issues like diarrhoea and acid reflux after bariatric surgery.

Your body has a harder time absorbing nutrients as a result. Another factor is the extremely high risk of dehydration that bariatric patients face. Following bariatric surgery, it becomes challenging to eat anything, not even sips of water.  

Before and after the surgery

What happens if you underwent bariatric surgery? You will be instructed to abstain from stimulants, drink plenty of water, and avoid the sugars that are frequently contained in some of our favourite caffeinated beverages before surgery.

Our bodies will need to be hydrated after surgery, and caffeine is a recognised diuretic. This implies that it pushes water out of the body, making it more difficult to obtain the recommended amount of hydration daily.

As you may have be aware, hydration is crucial for a post-bariatric patient’s success.

Why Must I Steer Clear of Coffee?

Coffee is well known to irritate the stomach. Basically, this indicates that caffeine irritates the stomach lining, which may slow the healing process.

Due to its high acidity, coffee increases the formation of stomach acid. We discover that heartburn is greatly decreased by giving up coffee right before and immediately after surgery. This makes the transition following surgery much easier for you.

can result in mild dehydration and is quite problematic right after surgery. One of the biggest causes of readmission to the hospital following surgery is dehydration. By emphasising water and hydrating with sugar-free liquids, this is prevented.

Caffeine: Is it harmful after gastric bypass?

For the reasons listed below, drinking coffee following bariatric surgery is not recommended. Dehydration is more likely as a result: As a diuretic, caffeine makes you urinate more frequently, which causes the body to lose water.

Due to the need to drink a lot of water, dehydration can result from consuming too much coffee in bariatric patients.

When may I resume consuming coffee in my diet?

Caffeinated beverages should be restricted or avoided for the first month after gastric bypass surgery. This will give your body enough time to recuperate and time to become used to your new digestive system.

Consult your bariatric healthcare team again after the first month to determine the protocols you should adhere to based on your particular requirements.

If you do not prioritise your water consumption, protein goals, bariatric supplements, sleep, and exercise following surgery, your energy levels may suffer.

You may experience low energy if you were on a clear liquid diet prior to having a gastric sleeve and were unable to eat as much as you once could.

Can you have coffee after having a gastric sleeve?

Coffee can be consumed as soon as you start eating solid foods, contrary to some sites that advise against it for two weeks following gastric sleeve surgery. Preferably, you should wait at least 2-3 days after the surgery before taking your first cup of coffee.

Conclusion

Coffee that has been decaffeinated is still acidic, just like regular coffee, thus it could still irritate the stomach and result in acid reflux. Decaf coffee should only be introduced one month following surgery or when your healthcare professional says it’s okay.

This regulation also applies to normal coffee. Unfortunately, nutritional absorption can be impacted by both decaf and regular coffee.

You shouldn’t have supplements and coffee at the same time. The fact that decaf coffee doesn’t have the full diuretic effect is a benefit.