Bowel movements that are too frequent or too infrequent are associated with declines in cognition
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Chronic constipation is linked to an increased risk of cognitive decline. This finding contributes to the growing body of evidence suggesting that gut health plays a role in dementia and related illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
To explore the relationship between constipation and brain health, Chaoran Ma at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and her colleagues analyzed data from over 110,000 adults. Participants reported the frequency of their bowel movements between 2012 and 2013 and also assessed changes in their memory, attention, and other cognitive aspects over a two- to four-year period using a survey.
The researchers discovered that individuals with chronic constipation – having bowel movements every three days or more – had poorer cognitive function compared to those who had daily bowel movements. This difference was equivalent to three additional years of cognitive aging.
Additionally, chronic constipation was linked to a 73% increased risk of cognitive decline, while having more than one bowel movement a day was associated with a 37% increased risk.
Genetic analysis of stool samples collected from 515 participants revealed that individuals with worse cognition and chronic constipation had fewer gut bacteria for digesting dietary fiber. They also had more gut bacteria known to cause inflammation compared to other participants.
According to Ma, these differences in gut bacteria may explain the link between chronic constipation and declining brain health. Persistent inflammation, for example, is known to damage neurons in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease.
However, Ma emphasizes that their study was not designed to establish causal relationships between bowel movements, the gut microbiome, and cognition. Regardless, these findings further support the idea that gut health and brain health are closely intertwined.
Heather Snyder at the Alzheimer’s Association in Chicago commented, “Our body systems are all interconnected. When one system is malfunctioning, it impacts other systems. Eating well and taking care of your gut may be a pathway to reduce the risk of dementia.”
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