How often you poop says a lot about your health, research shows.
Researchers in Washington state examined the lifestyle habits of more than 1,400 healthy adults, as well as how many bowel movements they have in a week.
They found that the ‘perfect’ number was one to two movements a day, and those with who ate high-fiber diets, exercised regularly, and were well hydrated were more likely to fall into this range.
However, those who were constipated or pooped more than three times a day were more likely to have toxic gut bacteria linked to organ damage and mental health conditions like depression.
The researchers found that diarrhea and constipation could be linked to organ damage, as well as mental health issues like anxiety and depression
Dr Sean Gibbons, corresponding study author and associate professor at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, said: ‘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.’
‘These insights could inform strategies for managing bowel movement frequency, even in healthy populations, to optimize health and wellness.’
The researchers looked at 1,425 adults who were customers of the now-defunct wellness startup Arivale.
About 83 percent of participants were white, while 8.5 percent were Asian. They ranged from 19 to 89 years old, and 65 percent were female. The average BMI was 27, which qualifies as overweight.
Participants reported how many bowel movements they had on average, and the team divided them into four groups: constipation (one or two movements a week), low-normal (between three and six movements a week), high-normal (between one and three movements per day), and diarrhea (more than three movements a day).
Researchers collected stool and blood samples and surveyed participants on their exercise, lifestyle, and dietary habits, as well as mental health and stress levels.
They found that age, sex, and BMI were ‘significantly’ associated with bowel movement frequency.
In particular, younger people, women, and those with a lower BMI had less frequent bowel movements.
Additionally, those who reported eating a diet rich in fiber, hydrating well, and exercising regularly were more likely to have healthier gut bacteria associated with the ‘Goldilocks Zone’ of bowel movement frequency, or one to two bathroom trips per day.
However, constipated participants and those with diarrhea were more likely to experience protein fermentation in the gut, during which toxic bacteria breaks down carbohydrates and sugars.
Physicians often use The Bristol Stool Chart in clinical practice to assess the health of a person’s bowel movements
Johannes Johnson-Martinez, lead study author and PhD student at ISB, said: ‘Prior research has shown how bowel movement frequency can have a big impact on gut ecosystem function.’
‘Specifically, if stool sticks around too long in the gut, microbes use up all of the available dietary fiber, which they ferment into beneficial short-chain fatty acids. After that, the ecosystem switches to fermentation of proteins, which produces several toxins that can make their way into the bloodstream.’
This process creates harmful byproducts associated with liver and kidney damage, as well as other chronic diseases, the researchers said.
‘Chronic constipation has been associated with neurodegenerative disorders and with chronic kidney disease progression in patients with active disease,’ Dr Gibbons said.
‘However, it has been unclear whether or not bowel movement abnormalities are early drivers of chronic disease and organ damage, or whether these retrospective associations in sick patients are merely a coincidence.’
‘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.’
Additionally, the team found that participants with mental health conditions like depression and anxiety were more likely to be classified as ‘high-normal’ or ‘diarrhea.’
There were several limitations to the study, including most participants being white and living on the west coast.
There was also ‘limited representation in the constipation and diarrhea categories, which reflects the “generally healthy” nature of this cohort,’ the researchers wrote.
The study was published Tuesday in the journal Cell Reports Medicine.
