Causes, Prevention & Risk Factors For Chronic Constipation

If you have hard, dry and difficult to pass stools and/or have less than three bowel movements a week, then you are suffering from chronic constipation.

Chronic Constipation Has Been Linked To:

1. Diverticulitis

2. Kidney disease

3. Colorectal and gastric cancer

4. Ischemic colitis

5. Parkinson's disease

The Digestive Process:

When food enters your mouth, the digestion process begins. As food is chewed, it is mixed with saliva, which starts the process of digestion. Digestion breaks food down to the raw materials that we need to live. The esophagus transports the food to the stomach, where it is churned and mixed with acid. As the food makes its way through your small intestine, bile produced by the liver, emulsifies fats. Enzymes from the pancreas also help to break down food. As the food passes through the small and large intestine, nutrients and water are extracted, leaving only the waste products your body cannot use.

A number of factors can affect the consistency and mobility of your stool, increasing your risk of developing chronic constipation. These include:

1. Lack of beneficial gut microbes, often caused by a lack of fiber in the diet.

2. A low-fiber diet also makes your intestines more vulnerable to infection.

3. Fiber promotes bulkier, softer stools, and helps keep your intestinal walls intact.

4. Certain medications and supplements (such as antidepressants, opioids, antacids, blood pressure medications, diuretics and iron supplements)

5. The excessive use of laxatives

6. Frequently ignoring the urge to have a bowel movement (for instance, avoiding using public toilets)

7. Dehydration

8. A magnesium deficiency

The following high-risk groups are also more likely to experience chronic constipation:

1. Women, especially during pregnancy or after giving birth.

2. Older adults, due to lower physical activity level and the slow-down of the digestive tract.

3. Lower-income individuals, because they may not be able to afford fresh fruits and vegetables, which provide fiber for their diets

4. People who have just had surgery. They may be nervous about pushing, may have reduced physical mobility and/or may not be eating their normal diet, all of which can contribute to constipation.

5. Certain medical conditions:

a. Conditions that cause blockage, such as tumors, inflammation or swelling and/or anal fissure

b. Diabetes

c. Conditions that impact the nerves in your intestines

d. Spinal cord injuries, brain injuries and stroke

e. Conditions involving the muscles used in elimination.

f. Weakened pelvic muscles or pelvic muscles which do not coordinate relaxation and contraction (dyssynergia)

g. Conditions that slow movement through the intestines, such as autonomic neuropathy and multiple sclerosis (MS)

h. Conditions that alter your hormones, such as hyperparathyroidism and hypothyroidism

i. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and/or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

1. Chronic pushing and painful stools may predispose you to large hemorrhoids, which can be quite aggravating and painful.

2. Your colon was designed to hold a few pounds of stool, but when constipated your colon may hold up to 10 pounds of dry, hard feces. The sheer volume of stool alone can stretch your colon, irritate the lining of the colon (mucosa) and produce toxins while waiting to be eliminated.

3. Chronic constipation can also lead to tearing of the anus (anal fissure). These fissures are caused by trauma to the inner lining of the anus. Pushing out large, hard stools can also result in some of your intestines protruding from the anus (rectal prolapse), which requires surgical intervention.

4. Chronic constipation can affect the genital and urinary health of women.

Processed foods contribute to constipation in a number of ways, so swapping them for whole, fresh foods may help to keep things moving along. Not only are processed foods typically low in fiber, they also tend to be high in sugars and grains that feed unhealthy gut bacteria.

1. Water and/or warm beverages such as tea or warm water with lemon

2. Leafy greens such as spinach, Swiss chard and kale

3. Avocadoes

4. Fermented vegetables

5. Yogurt from organic grass-fed milk

6. Kefir

7. Prunes

8. Radishes

9. Flax seeds (freshly ground)

10. Organic psyllium

11. Beans

12. Dark chocolate (cacao)

13. Olives and olive oil

14. Figs and fig paste

15. Aloe vera

16. Magnesium supplement

17. Castor oil

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