The
"normal" frequency of bowel movements ranges from three times a week to three times a day:[bold added]
The authors examined the health and lifestyle data of more than 1,400 healthy adults who had participated in a scientific wellness program at Arivale, a consumer health company that operated from 2015 to 2019 in Seattle. Participants, nearly 83% of whom were White, answered questionnaires and consented to blood and stool sampling.
Self-reported bowel movement frequency was separated into four groups: constipation (one or two bowel movements per week), low-normal (three to six weekly), high-normal (one to three per day) and diarrhea.
Unsurprisingly, both long-term constipation and diarrhea result in health problems:
The authors also found that several blood metabolites and blood plasma chemistries were linked with different frequencies. Byproducts of protein fermentation such as p-Cresol-sulfate and indoxyl sulfate, known to cause kidney damage, were enriched in constipated participants. Blood levels of indoxyl sulfate were also associated with reduced kidney function. And chemistries linked with liver damage were higher in people with diarrhea, who also had more inflammation.
We need to overcome our squeamishness about gastrointestinal problems because they could be indicators of life-threatening conditions in other parts of the body.
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