Postoperative ileus

Overview

Caffeine is the only supplement listed for postoperative ileus, with low-strength evidence across three analyses. Caffeine may shorten time to first bowel movement after colorectal surgery by about 10–18 hours and reduce hospital stay by nearly a day, with no reported side effects in these studies.

Larger standardized trials are still needed. The heatmap and evidence reviews below provide study detail.

Effect graph

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Relevant supplements

Relevant supplements sorted by DEX Score.


Caffeine	★★★★★	Low

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Studies

Find individual evidence reviews for supplements sorted by DEX Score.

1 supplement for rated at least stars. All purchase bands. No minimum star filter.

CaffeineView supplement →

Reconsider purchase★★★★★

How we scored this

Effect SizeLowEvidenceHighTrustMedium

Evidence Review

Caffeine can help speed up recovery after colorectal surgery by reducing the time it takes for the bowels to start working again.
Several analyses of multiple studies show caffeine shortens the time to the first bowel movement by about 10 to 18 hours and even reduces hospital stays by almost a day.
Importantly, caffeine’s use after surgery appears safe, with no reported side effects in these studies.
While the evidence is encouraging, more large and standardized studies are needed to determine the best way to use caffeine for this purpose.

Browse 3 studies2 meta-analyses

MetaCaffeine intake enhances bowel recovery after colorectal surgery: a meta-analysis of randomized and non-randomized studies2024n=610

A meta-analysis of 8 studies (610 colorectal surgery patients) found postoperative caffeine intake shortened time to first bowel movement and solid food tolerance versus non-caffeinated drinks, suggesting benefit for ileus prevention.

Effect: Benefit
Population: Colorectal surgery patients
Participants: 610

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MetaThe effect of coffee/caffeine on postoperative ileus following elective colorectal surgery: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials2022n=312

A meta-analysis of 4 RCTs (312 colorectal surgery patients) found postoperative coffee or caffeine reduced time to first bowel movement by ~10 hours and shortened hospital stay by ~1 day versus control.

Effect: Benefit
Population: Colorectal surgery patients
Participants: 312

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RCTDoes caffeine enhance bowel recovery after elective colorectal resection? A prospective double-blinded randomized clinical trial2021n=70

In 70 laparoscopic colectomy patients (ages 19–79), oral caffeine 100 mg three times daily after surgery shortened time to first bowel movement by 18 hours versus placebo without adverse events.

Effect: Benefit
Dose: 200 mg/day
Population: Healthy adults
Participants: 70
Ages: 19–79

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Evidence visualised

Same ratings as above, aggregated so you can see coverage and imbalance.

Purchase-guidance distribution

How many supplements fall in each purchase band

Effect-size distribution

How large the reported benefits tend to be

Study distribution across 1 supplements for postoperative ileus (3 studies total).
Supplement	DEX	Studies	Meta-analyses	Share
Caffeine	★★★★★52%	3	2	100%

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Overview

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Studies

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