The impact of postoperative coffee consumption on postoperative ileus: A narrative review

Postoperative ileus (POI) is a multifactorial condition causing the transient cessation of bowel motility, which significantly increases patient morbidity and healthcare costs. This narrative review synthesizes current clinical evidence evaluating the efficacy, safety, and underlying mechanisms of early postoperative coffee administration in mitigating POI. A structured literature search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Scopus was conducted, focusing on randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses that assessed early coffee consumption against standard care in human surgical cohorts. Clinical data consistently demonstrate that coffee significantly accelerates gastrointestinal recovery across colorectal, gynecological, general abdominal, and obstetric surgeries. The intervention effectively reduces the time to first flatus, first defecation, and the tolerance of solid food. These prokinetic benefits are driven by cephalic-vagal reflex stimulation, gastrointestinal hormone secretion, and intrinsic anti-inflammatory properties, with decaffeinated formulations showing comparable efficacy to caffeinated ones. Furthermore, coffee demonstrates a favorable safety profile without elevating overall postoperative complication rates, including anastomotic leakage, and enhances patient compliance. Ultimately, postoperative coffee consumption is a universally accessible, safe, and low-cost dietary intervention that expedites bowel recovery and decreases hospital length of stay. Its routine integration into standardized Enhanced Recovery After Surgery pathways offers a highly pragmatic strategy for managing POI.