July 16, 2024
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Having infrequent bowel movements is linked to a greater risk of reduced kidney function, according to a new study. Having them too frequently is associated with a greater risk of liver disease.
Pooping too often, or not often enough, may put you at risk for developing chronic disease, a new study shows.
Having a bowel movement once or twice a day is associated with better health, according to research published Tuesday in Cell Reports Medicine. The findings showed links between constipation and reduced kidney function, and diarrhea and liver damage.
"Overall, this study shows how bowel movement frequency can influence all body systems, and how aberrant bowel movement frequency may be an important risk factor in the development of chronic diseases," said Dr. Sean Gibbons, a co-author of the study and associate professor at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle.
The researchers examined data from more than 1,400 healthy adults, mostly white, categorized into four groups: constipation (one to two bowel movements a week), low-normal (between three and six bowel movements per week), high-normal (between one and three bowel movements per day) and diarrhea. The researchers looked for possible associations between bowel movement frequency and demographics, genetics, colonies of gut microorganisms and other factors.
Women, younger people and those with a lower BMI tended to have less frequent bowel movements. People who ate a fiber-rich diet, stayed hydrated and exercised tended to be in the "Goldilocks zone" of one-to-two bowel movements a day.
"Here, in a generally healthy population, we show that constipation, in particular, is associated with blood levels of microbially derived toxins known to cause organ damage, prior to any disease diagnosis," Gibbons said. "These insights could inform strategies for managing bowel movement frequency, even in healthy populations, to optimize health and wellness."
