Warning: New Starbucks Drinks Could Have This Unwanted Side Effect

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Starbucks has introduced a new lineup of olive oil drinks. Read on to see what side effect it’s causing. 

If you tend to frequent Starbucks, then you’re probably no stranger to interesting coffee combinations. And you’re probably also used to running up quite a large credit card tab in the course of getting your daily dose of caffeine.

Meanwhile, Starbucks recently introduced a new line of olive oil–infused coffee. The goal is to entice consumers based on the health benefits olive oil is known for.

But so far, consumer reception has been a mixed bag. Not only might the olive oil taste not appeal to all Starbucks fans, but some people who have sampled the new coffee lineup are reporting that their digestive systems are staging a rebellion in its wake.

When your coffee leads to extra bathroom trips

Coffee is a diuretic, so it’s not unusual to need a bathroom stop after consuming a large cup. But Starbucks customers who have tried the new olive oil lineup are running to the bathroom afterward for, well, a different reason.

That’s not totally surprising, though. A 16-ounce Starbucks coffee with olive oil could contain as much as 34 grams of fat. That’s more fat than you might consume in a typical meal. And that alone could be a driver of needing an immediate bathroom run following a Starbucks olive oil drink.

Also, many Starbucks drinks contain caffeine, which is a stimulant. That means it has the potential to stimulate the digestive system, too.

Will the Starbucks olive oil line make you sick?

You may not suffer any long-term repercussions from drinking coffee infused with olive oil. But might you have to cancel some of your morning plans after drinking one of these beverages? That’s possible, especially if you’re someone who has a weaker stomach and a more active digestive system.

Of course, you won’t know how a Starbucks olive oil–infused coffee will hit you until you actually try one. And similarly, you won’t know if you enjoy the taste until you give it a go. But if sampling one of these beverages results in a bout of digestive upheaval, then you may want to steer clear of olive oil–infused coffee and stick to the Starbucks drinks you normally order.

Along these lines, you may want to limit the extent to which you visit Starbucks on a whole, even if you don’t have any issues (taste, digestive, or otherwise) with its new olive oil coffee. You might spend 10 times more on a single Starbucks coffee than you would brewing your own at home. And at a time when inflation is surging, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to curb your spending and focus on adding money to your savings account.

This isn’t to say that you can’t splurge on the occasional Starbucks treat and make your own coffee most of the time. But you may want to think twice before trying the new olive oil lineup. It might sound interesting in theory, and there may even be some health benefits involved. But the last thing you want is to risk showing up late to work because you tried coffee with olive oil and subsequently could not get off the bowl.

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Maurie Backman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Starbucks. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: short April 2023 $100 calls on Starbucks. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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