Stomach Problems from Keurig Coffee

Are you experiencing stomach problems after you drink a cup of coffee from your Keurig? If so, it’s definitely worth rooting out the cause of your stomach problems. It’s possible it may be from coffee in general. It could also be specific to the Keurig. Or it could be completely unrelated to coffee.

In this article, we will explore how coffee, in general, can cause stomach problems. We will then explore some specific issues directly related to Keurig coffee. We hope this will help you better understand the root cause and lead to having a healthier stomach.

Stomach Problems Coming From Coffee

In order for us to understand how people can get stomach problems from Keurig coffee, we need to understand how coffee, unrelated to Keurig, can cause stomach problems. An article on Healthline explains three factors of coffee lead to stomach problems. The three things mentioned are the following:

1. Caffeine
2. Coffee Acids
3. Other Additives

We will examine these points a little further. By understanding these points, you may realize that the stomach problems you’re experiencing may be due to one of these factors. In that sense, it may not be directly related to the Keurig.

Caffeine

So does caffeine lead to stomach problems? Possibly. There have been various studies that have been done. Some have said that it does and others have said it doesn’t.

People generally think of caffeine as a mental stimulant. According to the Healthline article mentioned earlier, caffeine can stimulate the colon as well. If the lower gut is stimulated, that could potentially lead to an imbalance causing stomach problems.

One way to find out if this is causing stomach problems is to try out decaf coffee instead of regular. If the decaf coffee is not causing stomach problems, it’s very possible that the stomach problems are not coming from the Keurig coffee but from the caffeinated coffee instead.

Coffee Acids

Another factor related to stomach problems is the acid in coffee. Many people who switch to using a Keurig coffee maker also change the type of coffee they drink. Our website has an article on the taste differences between light roast and dark roast coffee. We found that the acid levels are higher in light roast coffee and lower in dark roast coffee.

There is an article from Verywell Health that talks about what kind of coffee can reduce stomach problems. The article gives a detailed explanation of how dark roast coffee leads to decreased stomach acid.

When it comes to stomach problems coming from Keurig coffee, this could be a potential factor. The switch to Keurig coffee may have been a switch from a darker roast to a lighter roast. Switching to a lighter roast leads to a higher amount of acid in the coffee. That could lead to stomach problems. It is not directly related to Keurig, but this could be where the stomach problems are coming from.

Other Additives

So how do you like your coffee? This is a common question that is asked when ordering coffee. The most common additives people add to their coffee is cream and sugar.

Additives could lead to stomach problems if a person is lactose intolerant and adds cream to their coffee. The stomach may have issues with the sugar or sugar-substitute added to the coffee. Although this is not specifically related to Keurig coffee causing stomach problems, it’s worth considering as a possible cause.

Most likely, if a person switches to using a Keurig and has stomach problems after switching, it’s not because of the additives. The reason for this is they are probably using the same additives as they were before switching to Keurig. At the same time, it’s possible that the additives mixed with a different coffee could have a different effect on the stomach.

Specifics to Keurig Causing Stomach Problems

We have seen some of the general ways stomach problems can come from coffee. We will now look at how stomach problems could come from coffee directly related to the Keurig.

The main things to consider are the ingredients in the Keurig K-Cup and the freshness of the K-Cups. By becoming aware of these things, the knowledge can help discern if the stomach problems are coming from the Keurig coffee.

Artificial Ingredients in Keurig Coffee

We’ve written different reviews on Keurig coffees. One of those reviews is on flavored K-Cups. When we were examining the pros and cons of different flavored K-Cups, we realized that so many of them have the same con. They are artificially flavored.

We purposely put one type of K-Cup that was not artificially flavored for people looking for that non-artificial option. If you go to Keurig’s website and browse their coffees, you can see that the majority of flavored coffee is artificially flavored. The point is that there are many different types of Keurig coffees that have artificial flavoring.

Although regular, non-Keurig, coffee may contain artificial ingredients, there are many Keurig coffee flavors that contain artificial ingredients. It’s much more common to buy Keurig coffee with artificial ingredients than non-Keurig coffee.

So that leads us to the question, does artificial flavoring cause stomach problems? We don’t know. It is possible that the artificial flavors that are put in the coffee could cause stomach problems. But do we even know what makes up those artificial flavors? So this is something that is worth considering as to whether stomach problems come from Keurig coffee.

Age of the Coffee

Most coffee lovers recommend freshly grinding the beans before brewing the coffee. Although this is possible to do with a Keurig, as discussed in another article we wrote, most of the time people don’t.

Not only is the coffee not freshly ground, the coffee may have been sitting around for a while. Although K-Cups have expiration dates, the question comes up as to how old the coffee is. The other question is whether old coffee can cause stomach problems.

I checked the expiration dates on some of my K-Cups. They go at least a few years out. In that sense, they can sit for a long time before they expire. Compare that to freshly ground coffee beans.

So it seems clear that brewing a K-Cup in your Keurig machine is not bringing you the freshest coffee. The next question is whether the ground coffee sitting in the sealed K-Cup can lead to stomach problems. Although we don’t have an answer, it’s a question worth considering.

Final Thoughts

As we have seen, there are many different things that could lead to coffee causing stomach problems. Some of those could be directly related to Keurig and others are not.

Hopefully, taking some of these things into consideration will help you on your journey to improving your stomach health and enjoying your coffee.

If you have any thoughts to share, please contact us by clicking here. Thank you for reading, and enjoy your coffee!

As a disclaimer: This post is not directly making any specific recommendations for you personally. The authors of this post do not directly represent Keurig and are not medical experts. Hot Coffee Brewing and its authors are not responsible for any damage to your Keurig machine. For any health-related questions, please consult and discuss them with your doctor. This post is not medical advice.