He constipation is a . And it is usually related to the appearance of a problem in the large intestine, the intake of medications or simply a change in habit. Constipation is considered to be chronic when the difficulty to evacuate is prolonged over time.
According to the experts of the (FEAD), chronic constipation is more frequent than it seems and “it is estimated that 15% of the population suffers from it”. Is more common in women, especially during pregnancyand in people older than 65 years.
As for why it occurs, the most common causes are a malfunction of the large intestine, rectum, or anus. And it may be due, they stress, to the fact that “the large intestine does not contract properly and does not generate the necessary movements to advance the feces to the rectum.”
Another reason may be that the rectum does not have enough sensitivity to detect feces and generate the sensation of evacuating them, which causes them to accumulate in the rectum.
Chronic constipation does not pose a health risk, although it can cause hemorrhoids and fissures
But they are not the only problems that are behind chronic constipation, since it can also be caused by “not exerting enough contraction to generate the necessary force to evacuate the stool.”
Consequences of being constipated
Constipation does not produce serious consequences for our health. Although, specialists in the digestive system emphasize, the most frequent problems are hemorrhoids (also known as piles) and fissures (a wound on the edge of the anus that causes pain and bleeding).
And it’s important to make it clear that “people with chronic constipation are no more at risk than others for colon cancer.”
How often do you have to go to the bathroom?
From the Spanish Foundation of the Digestive System They clarify that it is not necessary to evacuate daily, since “the limit of what is normal is to have a bowel movement once every three days.”
The limit of what is normal is to have a bowel movement once every three days
Therefore, this is what is healthy for people in general. Non-prescription laxatives should not be used to alter the frequency of bowel movements because it can be counterproductive.
And, despite the widespread belief, chronic constipation “does not produce a retention in the body of substances that are harmful to health.”
The recipe to prevent chronic constipation
The first thing to do if you suffer from chronic constipation is to change your eating habits. As is well known, incorporating fiber into our diet can help prevent constipation or help go to the bathroom.
For this, it is recommended:
-
Eat two servings of vegetables a day, at least one of them raw, such as in salads, and another as part of a prepared dish or as a garnish.
-
Eat three pieces of fruit a day, preferably whole and with the skin, as long as it is edible, of course, since the fiber is found mostly in the pulp and skin.
-
Every day between four and six servings of products that contain whole wheat flour or are enriched with wheat bran for its greater fiber content. How to do it? Well, for example, eating cereals for breakfast, whole wheat bread at meals or also, as a meal itself, foods such as whole wheat pasta or rice.
-
Two to five servings of legumes weekly, since they are one of the main sources of fiber. They can be used as substitutes for cereals and cook legumes by adding cereals, in this way we will increase the biological value of the protein content.
Beyond the diet, the doctor can prescribe laxatives. But those that do not require a prescription should be avoided, as they can “produce serious health consequences and make constipation increasingly difficult to control.”