I have an oatmeal breakfast at around 8:30am daily. Usually I have a cup of coffee right when I stumble out of bed, before breakfast. However on some days, I don't get my dose of coffee until after I eat oatmeal - and it seems to pass through my digestive system quickly if the coffee is on top - by 10:30am I am on the toilet. Could this be affecting the cholesterol lowering properties of the oatmeal? My understanding is that the oatmeal must sit in your small intestine for a period of time to remove some of the cholesterol produced by the liver - and if the coffee is acting like a laxative I am wondering if I am negating the effects.