The frequency of your bowel movements can affect your health, a study suggests.
How many times a week do you go to the bathroom to have a bowel movement? It varies greatly from person to person. While you might think it’s a no-brainer, in reality, according to a new study published in Cell Reports Medicinestool frequency influences health. To demonstrate this, scientists in this study collected clinical, biological and lifestyle data from 1,400 healthy adult volunteers.
Participants’ self-reported stool frequencies were categorized into four categories: constipation (one to two times per week), low-normal (three to six times per week), high-normal (one to three times per day), and diarrhea (more than four times per day).
The researchers then found that in healthy, but constipated people, there is an increase in toxins in the bloodstream and these can affect the kidneys. When stools sit in the gut for too long, microbes deplete the fiber and ferment the proteins instead, producing these toxins.
For diarrhea, those affected suffered from inflammation and liver damage due to the secretion of excess bile acid, which the liver must recycle. Those most affected by infrequent bowel movements were, among the participants, younger people, women and those with a lower body mass index.
It would therefore be better to go to the toilet once or twice for major needs per day. By studying the participants’ lifestyles, the researchers made another observation: “It was the fact of eating more fruits and vegetables that was the most important signal” observed in people with regular bowel movements. Water consumption and regular physical activity also play a role.
If regularity is important, what about bowel timing? It’s common to have a bowel movement in the morning. “Our small intestine and colon move very differently during the time of eating and digestion than they do during the fasting phase. During the fasting phase, cleansing waves sweep through the small intestine and move the contents into the large intestine,” Dr. Rezaie, a gastroenterologist at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, told Well + good. At night, this process therefore takes place continuously and this is why the urge to go to the toilet is often more present in the morning. While having a bowel movement when waking up may seem ideal, it is far from being an obligation for the specialist.