The ZOE program was developed using the microbiome and looking at things like blood sugar, blood fat. We're attempting to improve the health of the microbiome. Now, these microbes are connected to our bowel movements, to our digestive health, our digestive function,. And so when we when we develop a program intended to sort of improve the gut health towards blood sugar,blood fat, we're simultaneously improving the health of these microbes in general. This is an unintended benefit that a person has better bowel movements and improves their digestive health and reduces their constipation. So that's a beautiful thing.
The formal definition for constipation is ‘Having fewer than three bowel movements per week’. But, did you know that you can have a bowel movement every day and still be constipated? Recent data has shown that a quarter of people worldwide have at one point reported symptoms, suggesting that there is so much more to constipation than simply infrequent bowel movements.
In today’s short-ish episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan and Will attempt to dispel some misconceptions about constipation and empower you to have better bowel movements.
Studies referenced in today’s episode:
- A redefinition of constipation by King’s College London, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology (2019) here
- The State Of The Nation’s Gut, Love Your Gut here
- Epidemiology of constipation in Europe and Oceania: a systematic review from Prichard & Bharucha via BMC Gastroenterol here
- Recent advances in understanding and managing chronic constipation from Peppas, Alexiou, Mourtzoukou & Falagas via F1000Research here
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This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.