They're adding olive oil to their coffee to give it a "sweet and lush" flavor and a "velvety smooth" texture. But be warned, some people who have tried it have experienced some unintended consequences.
Apparently, it's so smooth that it's been prompting some urgent bathroom trips. Yep, you heard it right - some folks are reporting stomachaches, diarrhea, and even vomiting after sipping on these drinks. Looks like Starbucks needs to put a warning label on these babies!
Self reported that there’s a good amount of caffeine in these beverages. For example, a grande drink in the line ranges from 170 mg to 255 mg of caffeine. (For reference, one serving of a Monster energy drink contains about 79 mg, with the entire 16-oz. can coming in at 158 mg.)
Because it’s coffee, that part isn’t surprising. The fat content, however, is another story. The amount of fat ranges from 17 g to 34 g in a singular grande cup in the Oleato line. Compare that to 0 g in a grande cup of plain coffee or 7 g in a regular grande latte with 2% milk. (One tablespoon of olive oil contains 14 g fat.)
Of course, fat is an essential nutrient and adds plenty of flavor to your food. When you eat fat as part of your meals, it slows the digestion process, which helps boost satiety and keeps you feeling full longer, as SELF reported previously. But if you take in too much of it too quickly, especially on an empty stomach in the morning—like many folks do with their coffee—fat can “exacerbate the urgency to run to the bathroom,” Brigitte Zeitlin, MPH, RD, CDN, tells SELF.
Fats like olive oil can stimulate motility in the colon and “help smooth the insides of the bowel, making it easier for stools to pass through,” explains Zeitlin.
That, combined with the coffee, can really get your GI system working. That’s because caffeine also stimulates gut contractions, Rabia De Latour, MD, a gastroenterologist and assistant professor at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, tells SELF. (This may be why some people find themselves running to the bathroom after their first cup of coffee in the morning, even when there’s no olive oil involved.)
I guess this is a good idea if you’re looking to do a cleanse at home, but I don’t think I’d order this while I was out on a date.
