HEALTH: Coffee, your colon, and how your brew affects your morning movement

Your morning ritual of a cup of joe likely has an effect on your other morning rituals.

The blunt but apparently popular question—"Why does coffee make me poop?"—makes its round on common news and health websites. There seems to be agreement that caffeine and other substances from the brew do often get our colonic muscles going, generating a reaction in our bodies similar to eating a meal.

Cleveland Clinic's HealthHub offers other educational resources on digestive health and dietary recommendations. Might be worth scrolling through as you enjoy your next cup.

With all the coffee, tea, and other caffeinated drinks so popular, does it have any affect on wastewater? Caffeine actually is a notable substance we find in wastewater, and it's one of several contaminants, like pharmaceuticals and even artificial sweeteners, we and other agencies across the country are actively monitoring in the environment.