{"id":2731,"date":"2023-07-23T14:00:35","date_gmt":"2023-07-23T19:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/?p=2731"},"modified":"2023-07-20T05:55:26","modified_gmt":"2023-07-20T10:55:26","slug":"pooping-only-every-3-or-more-days-linked-with-cognitive-decline-research-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/?p=2731","title":{"rendered":"Pooping Only Every 3 or More Days Linked with Cognitive Decline, Research Finds"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Pooping Only Every 3 or More Days Linked with Cognitive Decline, Research Finds<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\tIn the first research to look at constipation\u2019s impact on the aging brain, scientists have found some concerning links.<\/b><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\tBeing chronically constipated, defined by the authors as having a bowel movement only every three or more days, has been linked with a 73% higher risk of subjective cognitive decline, according to research presented Wednesday at the Alzheimer\u2019s Association International Conference in Amsterdam.

\n\n\u201cOur study provided first-of-its-kind evidence that examined a wide spectrum of bowel movement frequency,\u201d said Dr. Chaoran Ma, the research\u2019s first author and assistant professor in the department of nutrition at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, via email. \u201cWe were surprised at how strong the associations were, especially for those with very infrequent bowel movements.\u201d

\n\nAbout 16% of the worldwide adult population experiences constipation, but it\u2019s even more common among older adults due to age-related factors such as lack of exercise and dietary fiber, and the use of medicines that can cause constipation as a side effect.

\n\nChronic constipation has been linked with inflammation and mental disorders such as anxiety and depression, but there have been many unanswered questions about the relationship between digestive health and long-term cognitive function, according to a news release.

\n\nCognitive function refers to a person\u2019s mental capacity for learning, thinking, reasoning, problem-solving, decision-making, remembering and paying attention.

\n\nTo find clues to these queries, the authors assessed more than 112,000 adults who had participated in the Nurses\u2019 Health Study, Nurses\u2019 Health Study II and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. The first two studies investigated risk factors for major chronic diseases among women in North America, while the latter study is looking into the same topics but for men. The authors of the latest research collected data on participants\u2019 bowel movement frequency from 2012 to 2013, participants\u2019 self-assessments of cognitive function between 2014 and 2017, and details on some participants\u2019 objectively measured cognitive function between 2014 and 2018.

\n\nCompared with people who pooped once a day, constipated participants had significantly worse cognition equivalent to three years more of chronological cognitive aging, the authors found. Increased risk was also found among those who pooped more than twice daily, though these higher odds were small.

\n\n\u201cThe more we learn about the gut-brain access, the more we understand that it\u2019s just so important to ensure that (preventing or addressing cognitive decline) is a system approach,\u201d said Maria C. Carrillo, chief science officer of the Alzheimer\u2019s Association, who wasn\u2019t involved in the research. \u201cThe brain is not completely isolated from what\u2019s happening in your blood flow.\u201d

\nBowel movements and the brain<\/b>

\n\nThis research wasn\u2019t \u201cdesigned to test the causal relationship between bowel movements, the gut microbiome and cognitive health, so we cannot firmly draw conclusions regarding the precise causal sequence underlying this association,\u201d Ma said.

\n\nBut bowel movement frequency and subjective cognitive function were also linked with the participants\u2019 gut microbiomes, the authors found. Among those with infrequent bowel movements and worse cognitive function, there was a depletion in good bacteria that produce butyrates, fatty acids which support the gut barrier that prevents bacteria and other microbes from entering your bloodstream, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

\n\nButyrates also significantly aid in digestive health by providing the main energy source for colon cells. Those can be found in high-fiber foods, fiber supplements, prebiotics and full-fat dairy products \u2014 eaten in moderation \u2014 such as butter, cheese, milk or ghee. Ghee is clarified butter, made by isolating pure butterfat from the milk solids and water in butter.

\n\nThose who pooped twice or more per day and had worse cognitive function had a higher amount of species that promote inflammation and are related to dysbiosis, an imbalance in gut microbes associated with disease.

\n\nOther research presented at the same conference Wednesday had similar findings. In one abstract of 140 middle-aged adults, having lower levels of neuroprotective gut bacteria Butyricicoccus and Ruminococcus was associated with elevated levels of Alzheimer\u2019s disease biomarkers.

\n\nIn another, of more than 1,000 adults, those with poor cognition had abnormally high amounts of the bacteria Alistipes and Pseudobutyrivibrio compared with other participants. Alistipes bacteria have previously been linked with anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression and hypertension.

\n\n\u201cIt makes sense that individuals that are having those movements so much less frequently are going to have less of the good bacteria and more of the bad bacteria that\u2019s caused by inflammatory conditions,\u201d Carrillo said.

\n\n\u201cFurther studies are needed to identify the microbes involved, and their function,\u201d Ma said concerning her research.

\n\nRegarding neurological and digestive health, \u201cgood food not only feeds our brain, but it also promotes healthy bowel movements,\u201d Carrillo said.

\n\nEating enough fiber from vegetables, fruits, whole grains and nuts can prevent constipation. Total fiber intake should be at least 25 grams per day, according to the US Food and Drug Administration. And being hydrated enough softens stool so you can pass it without straining.

\nExercising at least a few times per week and managing stress can also help.


\nContributor: Kristen Rogers, CNN<\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pooping Only Every 3 or More Days Linked with Cognitive Decline, Research Finds In the first research to look at constipation\u2019s impact on the aging brain, scientists have found some concerning links.Being chronically constipated, defined by the authors as having a bowel movement only every three or more days, has been linked with a 73% […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","category-lifestyle","category-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2731"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2731\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2735,"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2731\/revisions\/2735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}