Caffeinated beverages may stimulate bowel activity speeding up your need to "go".Caffeine may also increase the stomach acid exacerbating the side effects of certain medications used in the treatment of IBD For most of us, a cup of coffee is what we look forward to each day & it may be hard to cut it out. It may be a good start to minimize drinking these beverages & to keep an eye on how much caffeine you are getting in a serving. Even decaffeinated coffee has some caffeine-about 2 mg in a cup.