Does decaf coffee make a difference?

Not always the caffeine—tho I suppose it depends on the person. Often getting a low acidity roast can make a big difference for non-IBD people who are sensitive to coffee. I assume the same stands for us.

I don't think it is either of them. Because coffee cause severe abdominal cramps for me. I have consumed things more acidic, without having this problem.

Maybe caffeine stimulates the gut rather too much, maybe. But I don't think this is in itself the reason for the abdominal cramps that last for days.

I think something immune-related, and/or a damage to the gut is happening with coffee. At least for me.

Post Edited (xy123) : 11/30/2018 1:36:22 PM (GMT-7)

I always assume it’s caffeine but notice it’s not the same with tea or with Coke. It’s got to be the coffee beans.

I don't think any of us can ever be compared to the "normal" (healthy gut, NON-IBD) people in our lifetime. Even if you are in "remission", you will always have microscopic inflammation, structural changes due to the disease, chronic inflammation, immune system components, nutritional problems, high serotonin, histamine, prostaglandins, psychological problems, changes in your life-style due to the disease etc. unless you are cured with total colectomy (for UC, that is).

To approach this issue in another and different perspective, even the fact that you can always have a "flare up" makes you different. Food and the reactions to the food can contribute to the "flare up"s.

I don't think people with UC and CD should ever say to themselves something in these lines: "I am in remission, I can live like other people.".

Post Edited (xy123) : 11/30/2018 10:36:42 AM (GMT-7)

You are right the problems continue after the colectomy, which adds to my point: you should never consider yourself normal and think of yourself as able to eat whatever you want without consequences when you are in remission. Because IBD people always live with a risk of a flare-up, and foods and your reactions to the foods will have an effect on the probability of getting a flare-up.

By saying "you", I don't mean you specifically; but all IBD patients.

There are in human physiology. Our immune system is in close interaction with our digestive system, the foods we eat, our environment, our behaviours, our psychology, our cognition. It all comes down to a matter of degree for every individual.

Let's give an example then.

Say, you and your friend who doesn't have IBD started to drink 15 cups of coffee and two liters of coca cola every day for two months.

In this scenario you will have a significantly increased risk of getting a flare-up which could make you miserable for the rest of your life, while your friend could get some digestive issues that will most probably not turn into a miserable life-changing experience or a serious gut problem.

It is all a matter of degree for people with Crohn's and UC, when it comes to food's effects. It is not a matter of question whether food has an effect on your UC or not, it has. This is basic physiology. You just need to make the connections.

If you look at it from a broader perspective, everything affects everything. Causality.

Flare-ups do not come out of nowhere.

I am not saying food is the cause, I am saying it is a necessary contributor, always. I am not saying people get flare-ups because they eat the wrong things (which could be the case), I am saying what you put into your mouth and swallow will affect your digestive system, the microbial composition in that system, your immune system's responses to those microbes and the food particles, and the foods' inherent toxins will also cause changes in your digestive system on their own.

Post Edited (xy123) : 11/30/2018 12:37:18 PM (GMT-7)

Now, now folks, this sounds like a difference of opinion and doesn't have to become combative. I think the difference is a "how I feel" versus a very technical what is happening to bacterium sense. Lets try and get back on topic regarding the affect of decaf coffee.

Yes bacterium respond to what we eat. In a healthy gut, our bacterium can bounce back from poor diets. Healthy guts bounce back from antibiotics too. I know that those of us with IBD have more difficultly recovering from shocks, but still some of us do recover without issue. Are there still messed up things with us bacterial and otherwise even in a remission? I am sure there is.

XY123 I strongly disagree. As civily as possible I'd like to explain myself...

If foods or caffeine or whatever other ingested foods could cause inflammatory immune responses in the colon, UC would look more like Celiacs Disease where eating the food causes damage every time you do it. Not so. The immune system isn't attacking food its attacking the walls of your colon...
Some considerations...
Alcohol can cause a response from the immune system due to alcohol irritation the GI lining (among other known/unknown mechanisms), and consequently getting the immune system involved.
Nuts and seeds can get stuck in the little folds in your GI and similarly recruit the immune system.
E. Coli and other stomach illnesses do the same thing.

Having UC probably implies a degree of IBS. A lot of foods wont agree with us, but eating them really wont cause a flare up (or at-least is very unlikely to) because the immune system isn't going to respond to them. We don't have allergies and we don't have some Celiac's offshoot. If something bothers you, stay away from it so you can live comfortable (constant irritation may bring about a flare if its constantly being irritated, but even that is debated. This is because alot of foods we eat that don't agree with us hurt our stomachs by causing spasmatic contractions/speeding up of digestion - not because they're actually damaging the lining of your colon in a way that would recruit the immune cells) On the other hand if it a food doesn't bother you then go ahead and eat it. UC is hard enough without arbitrarily limiting your diet.

This is a very complicated condition that is poorly understood. It likely comes from a mix of the genetic parts of your immune system, and the type of normal bacterial flora in your gut, and other unknown factors. At the end of the day, your immune system is attacking your Colon without any good reason. So don't blame what you eat for causing a flare, because its not your fault. And try not to spread fear.

After many years of abstaining from chocolate, I bought an organic bitter one today that doesn't have dairy or gluten or other questionable substances. Ate some, and experienced some transient sharp pain on the left side of my abdomen.

I will try again tomorrow.

Edit: Someone on another forum recommended me to take caffeine tablets to see if the problems come from the caffeine.

Has anyone tried caffeine tablets, or caffeine enemas?

It too causes problems to a lesser degree; but still significantly bad. I don't know if the problems come from the caffeine, tannic acid(1), something else, or a combination.

(1): http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsid=9927618http://www.sciencelab.com

Post Edited (xy123) : 11/30/2018 2:47:54 PM (GMT-7)