Study Links Diet to Chronic Constipation Prevention

Chronic constipation tends to increase with age. A new study from researchers at Mass General Brigham explored whether five popular diets could help curb chronic constipation among middle- and older-age adults. The team tracked over 96,000 participants for several years to investigate the effects of long-term dietary habits on this persistent gastrointestinal condition. Their findings, published in Gastroenterology, indicate that individuals who regularly followed a Mediterranean or plant-based diet reported lower rates of constipation.

“Chronic constipation is a common issue that affects a vast number of people and can greatly diminish quality of life,” noted senior author Kyle Staller, MD, MPH, from the Division of Gastroenterology at Massachusetts General Hospital, part of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system. “Our results imply that as we age, specific healthy diets might benefit our digestive health in addition to their known advantages for heart health.”

Healthy Diets and Reduced Risk

While prior studies suggested that healthy eating could alleviate constipation symptoms, this research is the first to demonstrate that certain diets might actually prevent chronic constipation’s onset. “We’ve typically thought the benefits of a healthy diet came mainly from fiber, but our analysis revealed that the advantages of these diets on constipation occur regardless of fiber intake,” Staller explained.

Using data from the Nurses’ Health Study, Nurses’ Health Study II, and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, the researchers assessed long-term dietary habits in middle-aged and older adults, determining who later dealt with chronic constipation—defined as symptoms persisting for at least 12 weeks within a year. They looked at five dietary patterns: the Mediterranean diet, plant-based diet, low-carb diet, Western diet, and inflammatory diet. Participants adhering to a Western or inflammatory diet were more likely to face chronic constipation, while the low-carb diet seemed to have little influence on constipation risk.

Key Dietary Insights

“Our research suggests that a diet abundant in vegetables, nuts, and healthy fats may help prevent chronic constipation in middle-aged and older adults,” Staller remarked.

Other contributors to the study included Braden Kuo, Madeline Berschback, and Andrew T. Chan. Notably, Chan has worked as a consultant for Pfizer Inc. and Boehringer Ingelheim. Staller has received funding from Ardelyx and ReStalsis, and also served as a consultant for multiple organizations. Kuo has consulted for Ironwood and several others.

This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health.