Another common reason for changes in your bowel movements are new medications. Many medications have a side -effect of constipation. On the other hand, antibiotics are commonly associated with diarrhea. If either of these happen, consult with your doctor so you can get back to normal.
Many diseases and disorders can cause abnormal bowel movements. Before and after the age of 50, there are many studies on how to avoid cancer of the colon or at least reduce your risk factors.
However, one of the most frequently asked questions is: Does a colon detox work, and if so, how does it cleanse your colon? Before using any of the following scientifically-studied suggestions, consult your doctor to see if any of your medical conditions would prohibit you from following these rules provided by the American Heart Association :. Eat fruits and vegetable that are high in fiber to help your colon move waste products out of your system.
Eat about two cups of fruit and three cups of vegetables daily. This list was provided by American College of Gastroenterology. Eat a lot of high-fiber grains about three servings a day. Also, eat another three servings of quality grain products, such as pasta and oatmeal.
Exercise at least a brisk walk for 30 minutes five times a week. Interestingly enough, when we move our muscles, it helps our colon move waste products as well. That chemical ends up in your poop in two ways: it is byproduct of the hemoglobin in broken-down red blood cells, and it also comes from bile, the fluid secreted into your intestines to help digest fat.
Chutkan says that in a person with an optimally-functioning digestive system, "the ideal stool is a deep chocolatey color — like melted chocolate. Without stercobilin present, poop would be a pale grey or whitish color. We know this because people who have liver disease or clogged bile ducts causing little or no bile to get to their intestines have light-colored feces, a condition known as acholic stool.
Other colors of poop can be a sign of other conditions. Yellow stool can be the result of a parasitic infection, or pancreatic cancer. Black or dark red poop can be an indication of bleeding in the upper GI tract — or of eating beets.
Green feces can also be the sign of an infection. If your poop is blue, it's probably just because of blue food coloring. Hey Paul Studios. Because of anatomical differences, men and women's GI tracts work a little differently. These differences are so significant, in fact, that Chutkan says she could perform a colonoscopy and correctly guess the patient's sex without knowing it beforehand.
For starters, women have wider pelvises than men, as well as extra internal organs such as the uterus and ovaries in the region. As a result, their colons hang a bit lower than men's, and are a bit longer: on average, by ten centimeters. Finally, men have more rigid abdominal walls that help push food through the GI tract more effectively. All this, Chutkan says, "makes the passage of stool much more challenging for women. Men, on the other hand, are generally much more regular.
Although Chutkan cautions that there's no single "ideal poop," she notes that there are some characteristics that are a sign of a healthy digestive system and microbiome. There are some doctors that say pooping three times a week is sufficient, but Chutkan says that you should probably make a bowel movement every day — assuming you're eating food every day.
In some cases, irregularity can actually be caused by extreme stress, as hormones like adrenaline and cortisol can slow down the digestive process. Under ideal conditions, she says, "it should be very easy to pass — almost effortless. Finally, poop should sink, not float. Floating stool is usually a sign of poor nutrient absorption or excessive gas.
Of course, poops come in all shapes and sizes — as shown in the Bristol stool scale , created by the University of Bristol's Ken Heaton, at right — but Chutkan says the ideal poop is a three or four on the scale.
If your poop isn't a perfect, easy, continuous log, it's not necessarily a sign that you're sick. But it may be a sign that you're not eating enough fiber, or that your gut microbiome isn't in great shape. The key to good poops, Chutkan says, is straightforward: "What really makes a good stool is large amounts of the indigestible plant matter that feed gut bacteria.
But having a diverse and healthy community of gut bacteria is also essential — and for many people, overuse of antibiotics is a problem. Research has shown that a single course of ciproflaxin, for instance, can disrupt a third of the microbe species naturally present in our gut, and other work has suggested that in some people, the microbiome might never really recover.
Over-the-counter probiotic products , meanwhile, usually just have a single species of bacteria, and can't replace the diversity of microbes that have been lost. Killing your gut bacteria can lead to many problems, in some cases giving harmful bacteria, like C. But it can also lead to overly soft, unpleasant poops. The smell of your poop could be telling a story. Depending on your diet, the smell of your poop will change.
Ideally, humans are designed to be herbivores, but have been carnivores for centuries. This is why vegetarians have poop that smells much less pungent than that of meat-eaters.
However, if the odor becomes particularly foul this could be a sign that something serious is happening in your gut and consulting a physician might be necessary.
Many people are concerned if they miss a day without a bowel movement, but actually some very healthy people poop only every second day. If you go three days without needing to poop, this would indicate a problem, while if you need to poop three or more times a day, this is also not normal.
Some people even poop at specific times of the day, while others are not that regular in their habits. Your digestive process is definitely influenced by your stress levels. The gastrointestinal tract is lined with the same serotonin receptors that are found in the brain, which means that your brain and your gut actually have a very close relationship. Something like irritable bowel syndrome IBS has been definitively linked to ongoing, high levels of stress.
Your diet also plays a big part in your pooping schedule. Cheese and other dairy products are known to slow your digestive system, as will foods that are hard to digest, like steak. Alcohol and coffee, on the other hand, can cause you to poop more often. Regularity of pooping is important, but so is the experience of passing a stool. Eat fiber-rich foods — fiber is a binding agent that facilitates the whole digestive process. Foods like meat and refined carbohydrates are not good sources of fiber, while whole foods, such as fruit and vegetables, are much kinder to your gut.
Pay attention to what you eat, as you may find that some foods are more digestible than others. This way you can mindfully modify your diet. Avoid alcohol and caffeine — both of these dehydrate the colon, which causes digestive problems.
Drink a lot of water — dehydration is a major cause of gut problems and caffeine and alcohol make the situation worse. You should try to drink water regularly throughout the day, aiming for at least 8 glasses for maximum hydration. Fiber minus sufficient water is a major reason for bloating. Look after your liver — bile is essential to digest the fats in your gut. With insufficient bile, your system can back up quickly and constipation can result. A regular liver cleanse is a good idea.
Maintain your probiotics — a healthy gut is like a garden filled with micro-organisms, consisting of good and bad bacteria. Taking probiotic supplements will help keep your gut healthy and functioning well. There are also foods rich in probiotics such as kimchi, sauerkraut, and high quality yogurts.
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