Recent research by the Institute for Systems Biology reveals that the frequency of bowel movements significantly affects long-term health, influencing various physiological processes and potentially impacting chronic disease risk. Analyzing data from over 1,400 individuals, the study connects bowel movement patterns with health markers such as gut microbiome composition and blood metabolites, suggesting that maintaining a “Goldilocks zone” of daily bowel movements could be crucial for optimal health. Everybody poops, but not every day.
New research from the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) indicates that the frequency of bowel movements is connected to long-term health. An ISB-led research team examined the clinical, lifestyle, and multi-omic data of more than 1,400 healthy adults. How often people poop, they found, can have a large influence on one’s physiology and health.
Their findings were recently published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine . Researchers explored data from consenting participants of the consumer wellness company Arivale. The team focused on generally healthy adults and excluded those with certain health conditions or medication use.
The research team categorized self-reported bowel movement frequency into four groups: constipation (one or two bowel movements per week), low-normal (between three and six bowel movements per week), high-normal (between one and three bowel movements per day), and diarrhea. Once categorized, the team looked for as.