Coffee Enemas and Cancer: What the Evidence Says

Overview

Many people living with cancer look for natural approaches that may help them feel better, and coffee enemas are one of the approaches patients often ask about. This article explains what coffee enemas are, where the idea came from and what the evidence actually shows.

AWAREmed’s approach to cancer care: Supportive and adjunctive care alongside conventional medical treatment.

What Is a Coffee Enema?

A coffee enema is a procedure in which brewed coffee, cooled to body temperature, is put into the rectum and lower colon through a tube and held for a short time before it is released. People who use coffee enemas often describe them as a way to cleanse or "detox" the body.

A Brief History

Enemas of many kinds have been used for centuries. Coffee enemas were listed in some older medical and nursing references, including earlier editions of the Merck Manual, mainly as a way to relieve constipation.

Coffee enemas became linked with cancer through Dr. Max Gerson, a physician who, starting in the 1930s, developed a program now known as the Gerson Therapy. Coffee enemas are a central part of that program, and many people still follow versions of it today.

What the Gerson Program Involves

The Gerson program is built around an organic, mostly plant-based diet with large amounts of fresh vegetable and fruit juices each day (the program calls for about 13 glasses), foods rich in potassium, limited sodium, a range of supplements and regular coffee enemas. Supporters believe the program supports the body’s natural healing and detoxification processes.

Dr. Gerson believed that people with cancer needed help clearing waste from the body and that coffee enemas helped the liver do this. These were his ideas and those of his followers; they have not been confirmed in controlled studies.

Why Coffee?

Supporters suggest that caffeine and other compounds in coffee may stimulate the liver and gallbladder to release bile. They often point to research from the early 1980s by Dr. Lee Wattenberg, which reported that certain compounds in coffee (kahweol and cafestol palmitate) increased the activity of an enzyme called glutathione S-transferase, part of the body’s own detoxification system.

It is important to understand what this research does and does not show. It was laboratory and animal research on coffee compounds, not a study of coffee enemas in people. It does not show that coffee enemas remove toxins, improve liver function or have any effect on cancer in people.

What Does the Research Show?

There are no well-designed clinical trials showing that coffee enemas, alone or as part of the Gerson program, shrink tumors, slow cancer or help people with cancer live longer. Reviews of the Gerson program by major cancer organizations have not found reliable evidence that it works as a cancer treatment. Reports of benefit come mostly from individual stories, which cannot show whether a therapy works.

Coffee enemas are also used by some people for constipation, fatigue or general wellness, but there is very little research on these uses either.

Safety Risks

Coffee enemas carry real risks. Reported problems include:

• Burns to the rectum and colon if the coffee is too hot
• Dehydration and imbalances in salts such as sodium and potassium, especially when enemas are done often
• Infection and injury to the bowel wall from equipment or technique
• Cramping, bloating and nausea
• Added risks for people with low blood counts, bowel tumors or recent bowel surgery

Serious complications from frequent enemas have been reported in the medical literature. Very restrictive diet programs can also make it harder for people with cancer to keep up their weight and strength.

How AWAREmed Can Help

At AWAREmed in Johnson City, Tennessee, Dr. Dalal Akoury, MD, MPH, offers supportive, whole-person care for people living with cancer. This care is meant to work alongside, not replace, the treatment plan from your oncologist, and we coordinate with your cancer care team. Learn more about our integrative oncology support.

Related reading: Nutritional support for weight loss in cancer patients

Dr. Akoury is happy to talk through your questions about complementary approaches, including what is known about their risks, so that you and your oncologist can make informed decisions together.

Questions? Call us at (423) 430-6170 or book a consultation.