We never talk about pooping. It is a taboo topic even though most living beings poop, it is something biological and necessary, however, nobody ever wants to talk about these topics. And it is not that we love scatological topics, but the frequency with which you go to the bathroom says a lot about your health. Even if you do not believe it.
It does not only speak about whether you ate well yesterday or not, but about how your intestine is functioning, which bacteria live inside you and even if there is a risk that, in the long term, problems will appear in organs such as the liver or the kidneys.
The study of poop
Now they have conducted a study to know how the intestinal pattern of human beings works, and it seems that those who poop once or twice a day seem to have better intestinal health and fewer toxins than those who go more or fewer times to the bathroom. Careful, we are not talking about a gastroenterologist’s obsession, but about biomarkers measured in blood, changes in the intestinal flora and signals that could anticipate chronic diseases, those that are called “silent”.
Neither too much, nor too little
The researchers called it the Goldilocks zone, it means that a balance is needed that allows nutrients to be absorbed, fiber to be processed and toxins to be eliminated, but all in due time, neither too fast nor too slow (because it would be harmful).
People in this group had more “good” bacteria, especially those that transform fiber into fatty acids that help the immune system and energy.
Good habits and good rhythms
Curiously, those who had an “ideal” transit did not follow very strange diets nor miracle treatments, it was limited to eating fiber, drinking water and moving a little every day.
And what if my intestine goes too fast?
At the other extreme were people with frequent diarrhea, this is not normal either!!! Their samples had more typical bacteria of higher zones of the digestive system, as if the food were passing too fast and without control. And in blood, many markers showed possible liver damage.
And, as I told you, when the transit is too fast, the body does not process nutrients nor toxins well, and all of that affects our organs.
Slow intestines
The group with slow transit had an opposite problem, the fermentation of proteins, producing indoxyl sulfate, a compound linked to kidney damage.
The microbiome changes fast
Probably the most hopeful part of the study was that the intestine can recover in a few weeks if habits change. It will only require more water and more fiber, and everything inside you will begin to reorganize. But you have to keep in mind that it gets out of balance very fast!
It is not only what you eat
Each body is a world, and where two people can eat the same thing, their bacteria are different and their bodies will process those foods differently, that is why diets work for some people and not for others.
And no, the perfect diet does not exist, but a well balanced microbiome that can adapt
And what if you are not in the healthy zone?
Nothing happens if one day you do not poop or if another day you poop two or three times, it happens to all of us, the problem comes when your normal pattern of going to the bathroom is outside the range in a constant way.
Listen to the intestine
Sometimes it is funny to talk about poop, but let us be adults, it can be as complicated for our health as blood pressure or cholesterol. Time to go to the bathroom more often and not laugh when someone talks about poop!