I hope you don’t have any of these habits that cause constipation…

Expert of this article: Zhao Weitong, attending physician of the Affiliated Hospital of the NCO School of the Army Medical University (formerly the 260th Hospital), Master

Reviewer of this article: Hao Liangcheng, deputy chief physician of the Department of Gastroenterology, Shenzhen Fourth People's Hospital, master's student

How long do you usually spend in the bathroom? 5 minutes? 10 minutes? Or half an hour or more?

The pain of constipation can probably only be understood by those who have experienced it.

Recently, Mr. Zhang, 43, from Beijing, had a positive result for colorectal cancer screening due to long-term constipation. Mr. Zhang likes to eat meat and rarely exercises. His BMI value of 28 is considered mild obesity. He has no family history of cancer or tumors. He had constipation for a year and did not pay attention to it. Later, under the persuasion of his wife, he did a colorectal cancer screening and was later diagnosed with rectal cancer.

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Therefore, if you usually have constipation, don't take it lightly! Today, let's talk about constipation.

Food from entering the mouth to being excreted from the body

What processes did you go through?

Food enters the mouth, is chewed by the teeth and pre-digested by salivary amylase, then passes through the esophagus and reaches the stomach. After the stomach absorbs a small amount of water, the food reaches the small intestine and is digested and absorbed as small molecule nutrients such as water, glucose, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins and inorganic salts. The remaining food residue reaches the large intestine, which can absorb water, a small amount of vitamins, etc.

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Therefore, the longer you do not defecate, the drier the food residue becomes, and the harder it is to expel it, leading to constipation. The nervous system is involved in every aspect of the body's urge to defecate and the action of defecation. Therefore, any factor that causes the drier food residue can lead to constipation.

How long does it take to go without a bowel movement before constipation occurs?

Constipation refers to a decrease in the frequency of bowel movements, generally less than 3 times a week, accompanied by difficulty in defecation and dry stools. It often persists for a long time and affects the quality of life. Intestinal diseases are the most common, but other causes must be excluded during diagnosis.

According to the 2022 "Research on the Attention of Chinese Patent Medicines for Constipation in Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines/Consensus and National Medical Insurance Drug List", the prevalence of constipation among ordinary people in my country is about 20%, and increases with age. The prevalence of constipation is higher in people over 60 years old than in young and middle-aged people, and the incidence rate in women is higher than that in men.

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Constipation is divided into functional constipation and organic constipation. Common causes of functional constipation are:

1. Eat less, or do not eat, or eat less vegetables, fruits, whole grains and other dietary fiber, or drink less water;

2. Due to work or study stress, such as high school students' busy schedule, in order to save time, disrupting normal bowel habits;

3. Weak abdominal and pelvic floor muscles, such as women who have had multiple pregnancies and childbirths, which can lead to insufficient intestinal propulsion and constipation;

4. Intestinal flora disorder, constipation occurs;

5. Long-term oral use of irritant laxatives (such as phenolphthalein and anthraquinones can cause colon cancer);

6. Elderly people do not exercise enough, their intestinal activities are also less, and their intestinal motility is weakened, which leads to difficulty in defecation;

7. Long colon.

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Common causes of organic constipation are:

1. Hemorrhoids, anal fissures, perianal abscesses, etc.;

2. Colon tumors, Crohn's disease, intestinal adhesions, intussusception, etc.;

3. Systemic diseases: uremia, diabetes, cerebral infarction, paraplegia, etc., intestinal muscle relaxation, weakened peristalsis, and weak defecation;

4. Side effects of drugs: morphine, sedatives, antidepressants, etc.

So, what are the dangers of long-term constipation?

Long-term constipation will cause the nerves near the anus to become less sensitive, which will aggravate constipation in a vicious cycle. Moreover, the toxic substances that should have been discharged will not be discharged and will irritate the intestinal tract, leading to melanosis coli and colon polyps, and further stimulation may lead to malignant tumors of the colon.

Therefore, constipation should be treated as early as possible to avoid regrets.

What are some common bad habits?

Could it cause constipation?

Which of the following bad habits do you have?

1. Prefer meat to vegetables and dislike drinking water. Too little fiber and water in the intestines, resulting in insufficient food and feces in the intestines to stimulate normal intestinal peristalsis;

2. Prefer quietness and dislike of movement, which leads to weakened intestinal motility;

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3. They like to play and don't like to be still. They spend too much time playing with their mobile phones or reading books in the toilet, and cannot concentrate on the defecation action, which leads to disorders of the brain and the nerves around the anus, and the defecation reflex is weakened or even disappears;

4. Frequently holding back farts or feces can also affect the function of the nerves and muscles around the anus, causing the defecation reflex to weaken or disappear;

5. Long-term use of laxatives will lead to drug dependence and cause constipation.

Defecation should be done at a fixed time and place. Do not do other things during defecation and concentrate on feeling the urge to defecate. If you still feel the urge to defecate after most of it has been excreted, you can wait a while, but not too long. It is not recommended to continue squatting or sitting for more than 15 minutes.

How to relieve constipation?

1. Eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains and other foods high in dietary fiber, and drink more water;

2. Supplement probiotics, regulate the balance of intestinal flora, and relieve constipation, such as drinking yogurt or probiotic drugs;

3. Develop good bowel habits;

4. Do moderate exercise to promote intestinal motility.

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