Study Finds Bowel Movement Frequency Correlates With Blood Markers of Kidney and Liver Function

A study published on July 16, 2024, in the journal Cell Reports Medicine found that the ideal number of bowel movements for optimal health was one or two per day. The study analyzed more than 1,400 healthy adults, mostly white adults living in the Pacific Northwest, using data from the now-defunct wellness company Arivale.

Researchers analyzed blood and stool samples, body mass index measurements, and questionnaire responses about diet, exercise habits, and mental health.

Blood samples were analyzed to detect chemicals indicating low organ function including kidneys and livers. Stool samples were genetically sequenced to determine the makeup of each person’s gut microbiome. Participants were grouped by bowel movement frequency: one or two per week, three to six per week, one to three per day, and four or more per day, defined as diarrhea.

Younger people, women, and those with lower BMIs tended to poop less frequently. Chronic constipation, defined as two or fewer bowel movements a week, was linked with decreased kidney function. Diarrhea, four or more times a day, was associated with decreased liver function.

People who reported regular constipation or diarrhea had more protein-feasting gut bacteria. People who pooped once or twice a day had more fiber-fermenting bacteria. Sean Gibbons, an associate professor at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle and a co-author of the study, stated that it is well-known that things like constipation are associated with chronic disease.

“If we don’t feed our microbes, they start eating us,” Gibbons said. “We hypothesized that we would see more of these protein-derived toxins in the blood in people with lower bowel movement frequencies or constipation, and we did,” Gibbons stated. ” Dr.

Phillipp Hartmann, an assistant professor of pediatric gastroenterology at the University of California, San Diego, who was not involved in the research, stated that gut permeability at least contributes to disease. “It may not be the only factor, but it often worsens disease,” Hartmann said.

Joseph Petrosino, chair of molecular virology and microbiology at the Baylor College of Medicine and also not involved with the new research, stated that when a person has diarrhea or constipation, microbes will accumulate that produce toxins that influence disease.

In the study, people who reported eating a fiber-rich diet, staying hydrated and exercising regularly tended to have healthier bowel movement frequency. Petrosino stated that first and foremost it is important to eat a healthy diet, feed yourself with foods that fertilize and promote good bacteria growth.

Petrosino stated that probiotics can be helpful for chronic conditions such as upset stomach, constipation or diarrhea but that healthy people should not start taking them.

The study was not a randomized clinical trial that included an intervention. @NBCNews reported that the research cannot conclude with certainty whether having more or less than one or two bowel movements a day is linked to chronic disease.