What Your Bowel Habits Reveal About Your Health

As the saying goes, you can’t brush aside the truth, but you can examine it closely—and you definitely should.

Medical professionals have long recognized that the state of our toilets offers valuable insights into our overall health. This wisdom also applies to how frequently we use them.

Discovering the Goldilocks Zone of Bowel Movements

Last year, a team of researchers found a connection between the frequency of bowel movements and long-term health outcomes.

They studied 1,400 healthy adults, excluding those with certain conditions and medications that could alter their stool.

The researchers categorized bowel movement frequency into four groups: constipation (one or two movements per week), low normal (three to six movements per week), high normal (one to three movements per day), and diarrhea.

Within this scale, the team identified a sort of Goldilocks zone.

Ideal bowel movements fall within a high normal range, according to Professor Shawn Gibbons, one of the study’s authors from the Institute of Systems Biology.

“Going every other day is reasonable. Ideally, twice a day is within a safe range,” he explains. “Some people take pride in it; they make a point to go at 10 a.m. every day.”

What Our Stool Reveals About Gut Health

Gibbons’ fascination with our collective bowel habits stems from the increasing understanding of the microorganisms inhabiting our gut.

“Transit time or intestinal motility is a crucial factor in this ecosystem,” he notes.

As stool moves through the intestine, microorganisms utilize available dietary fiber, fermenting it into beneficial fatty acids.

However, if the stool lingers too long, these microorganisms switch to protein, leading to toxin release into the bloodstream.

“Accumulations of toxins, like indoxyl sulfate and trimethylamine, are associated with chronic kidney and cardiovascular diseases,” Gibbons warns.

Regular bowel movements lead to similar yet subtly different biological processes.

“Individuals with diarrhea often show elevated levels of systemic inflammation, such as C-reactive protein,” he clarifies. “I noticed a stress marker in the liver that ended up in the bloodstream.”

Of course, there are natural variations in how often people experience bowel movements. Most people recognize when their patterns change, but many healthcare providers aren’t overly concerned.

Gibbons states that the general consensus among clinicians is that unless changes are extreme, treatment may not be necessary.

“However, we argue that variations might be worth investigating,” he says. “Aiming for a consistent schedule of once a day or every other day is important. Deviating from this pattern can raise potential risk factors for chronic illnesses and aging.”

Examining Stool Texture and Consistency

Another way to evaluate your stool is by observing its characteristics. The Bristol Stool Scale serves as a visual guide to assessing stool health and can be quite revealing.

Developed in 1997 as a diagnostic tool, the scale categorizes stool into seven types—from small, hard pellets to watery diarrhea.

In addition to frequency, we should also seek a healthy balance in terms of shape and consistency. A smooth, sausage-like stool that passes easily is considered ideal.

It’s also necessary to notice the effort involved during bowel movements. Stool should not feel like a strenuous ordeal, nor should it feel like it’s happening all at once.

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Emphasizing a Healthy Lifestyle

If you find yourself consistently outside these Goldilocks zones, researchers suggest several strategies.

Gibbons and his colleagues discovered that individuals who fall into the beneficial higher frequency category tend to lead healthier lifestyles.

“They consume more fruits and vegetables, are more physically active, and tend to hydrate better,” he mentions. “These three factors can make a significant difference.”

He also recommends exploring new health trends. “Consider taking dietary fiber supplements or incorporating flaxseed and chia seeds into your meals. These can be quite beneficial.”

Be wary of certain wellness trends as well. Popular weight loss medications like Wegovy and Ozempic may offer multiple health benefits, but Gibbons cautions that they can slow intestinal transit time, potentially affecting frequency.

“High-protein diets can also pose risks due to the byproducts generated from protein fermentation. There is considerable evidence suggesting links to type 2 diabetes, particularly in younger individuals.”

So the next time you find yourself on the throne, consider it your personal health assessment.

Meet Our Experts

Professor Shawn Gibbons is an associate professor at the Institute of Systems Biology and leads the Gibbons Lab, which focuses on microbiology, ecology, and medicine. He earned his PhD in Biophysics from the University of Chicago in 2015. His expertise lies in microbial ecology, evolution, complex adaptive systems, bioinformatics, and the human microbiota.