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The ideal number of times you should poop in a day for ultimate health, says study
As well as regular exercise and sound mental state, gut health is also important to determine your overall well-being. The number of times you go to poop in a day says a lot about your health.
Poor gut health is associated with compromised mental health and even bad breath. If you defecate more and less than the ideal number of times, it’s a sign to get your microbiome composition checked.
Study establishes link between poop frequency and health
The study published in Cell Reports Medicine including over 1400 healthy adults found that people who pooped less or more than the ideal number of times showed signs of different illnesses.
The research team reached the conclusion after analyzing the blood and stool samples of the participants, alongside the body mass index measurements and their responses to a questionnaire on diet, exercise, mental health, etc.
The participants were segregated into different categories depending on the number of times they went to poop in a day – 1 = constipation (12 bowel movements per week), 2 = low-normal (36 bowel movements per week), 3 = high-normal (13 bowel movements per day), and 4 = diarrhea (4 or more bowel movements per day).
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The study found that women with lower BMI pooped less frequently. While two or fewer bowel movements a week are associated with decreased kidney function, going to poop more than four times a day is linked with decreased liver function.
‘Ideal number’ of bowel movements a day
The study on Cell Reports suggests that an average healthy person would have one or two bowel movements a day. The
According to NBC, co-author Sean Gibbons said in the comments regarding the results of the study: Its well known that things like constipation are associated with chronic disease.
However, turning to quick remedies such as the viral ‘5-minute constipation hack’ isn’t the solution as doctors warn against its side effects.
London-based Dr. Karan Raj recommends two other safe alternatives, instead Kiwis and Pears. While Kiwi contains the enzyme Actinidin, Pears has Sorbitol, which has a natural osmotic laxative effect. It helps draw more water into your colon to keep your stool big and soft, thus avoiding constipation.
Bringing your smartphone to the toilet could also disrupt your bowel movement, but there is a gross reason to break the habit immediately.
