(TND) — Starbucks has started offering olive oil-infused coffee in select locations, but it may be having an unintended impact on those who drink it.
CNN reports the combination of coffee and olive oil is driving some folks to the restroom.
A barista posted on Reddit that their team tried it and some “ended up needing to use the restroom, if ya know what I mean,” according to CNN.
Another person on Reddit, who said they have inflammatory bowel disease, wrote that they “wouldn’t touch these drinks with a ten-foot pole.”
Starbucks is offering the new drink, Oleato, in just a few cities at the moment, including Seattle, Los Angeles, New York and Chicago.
The company says the drink infused with extra virgin olive oil “offers a velvety smooth, deliciously lush new coffee experience.”
Olive oil has health benefits, including potentially lowering the risk of heart disease, according to the American Heart Association.
It’s a big part of the Mediterranean diet, which is lauded for being healthy.
But registered dietitian nutritionist Erin Palinski-Wade told CNN that the coffee-olive oil pairing could have a “laxative effect.”
She said olive oil can help soften the stool.
The Oleato isn’t going to hurt anyone, she said. But some people might feel cramping or “that uncomfortable feeling of having to go in the bathroom,” she said.
“If you combined high fat in a meal or in a beverage along with coffee, which already stimulates the bowels, that combination can cause cramping. It can cause increased mobility in the colon and therefore have that laxative effect,” she told CNN.
