Few people are eager to discuss their bathroom habits with their doctor, even though most people have the pressing question, “Are my bathroom habits normal?”
According to gastroenterologists, it depends. How often you poop varies from person to person and how healthy the bowel movements are.
While some people go a few times a week, others may go to the toilet after every meal.
The body’s response to the digestion of food is the gastrocolic reflex, which is responsible for the feeling of having to poop after eating.
It’s a normal process, and the sensation isn’t normally anything to worry about, as long as your stool is healthy, meaning it’s soft but shaped and snake-like, according to doctors at Columbia University.
A stool that is loose and resembles diarrhea may indicate a larger medical problem.
If you find yourself rushing to the toilet soon after eating, or you notice that certain foods make the problem worse, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may be the cause. Certain foods, anxiety, celiac disease and certain food allergies can all also play a role in causing an overactive gastrocolic reflex.
How often you poop and how soon after a meal varies from person to person. The process is controlled by the involuntary gastrocolic reflex, which stimulates the movement of food and absorption of nutrients in the gastrointestinal tract
The gastrocolic reflex usually occurs within 15 minutes after eating. It causes the stomach to expand to allow for the absorption of nutrients and increase motility through the gastrointestinal tract.
The contractions caused by the reflex push the contents of the colon into the rectum for a bowel movement. This occurs more often due to the high mobility.
When food enters the stomach, it causes a chain reaction that releases the hormones cholecystokinin (CCK) and motilin, both produced in the small intestine.
CCK stimulates the release of digestive enzymes from the pancreas to help digest fats, proteins and carbohydrates. It then causes the gallbladder to contract and release bile into the small intestine, which emulsifies fats, making them easier to digest.
It also slows stomach emptying so there is more time to absorb nutrients.
Motilin, meanwhile, stimulates the movement of food through the gastrointestinal tract by contracting and retracting the stomach muscles. About 90 minutes after eating, Motilin activates the migrating motor complex (MMC), a cyclical pattern of contractions that occurs between meals and during fasting to transport food from the small intestine to the large intestine.
The MCC also carries away bad bacteria to ensure nutrient absorption is not blocked.
Everyone’s digestive system moves at its own pace. It can take anywhere from 10 to 72 hours for food to pass and cause a bowel movement.
And some people simply have a more sensitive gastrocolic reflex, or eat more fiber-rich and spicy foods that have a laxative effect. Coffee is another reason why people go to the toilet more often.
GI doctors say a bowel movement of three times a day to three times a week can be considered normal. Whether the frequency of your bowel movements is actually ‘normal’ largely depends on the quality of the stool.
Doctors often use the Bristol Stool Chart in clinical practice to assess the health of a person’s bowel movements
Dr. Christine Lee, a GI doctor at the Cleveland Clinic, shared Yahoo: ‘If the quality of bowel movements isn’t great, some people will have to go two to three times in a row within one to two hours.’
Despite going to the toilet several times, this would still ‘mean just one good bowel movement’.
There are other measures of “normal” that doctors say are more important than frequency.
Dr. Brian Brunson, a gastroenterologist practicing in Alabama, shared The healthy one to pay attention to the color of your stool, which is “variable and influenced by several factors, including diet and medications.”
He added: ‘However, there are certain stool colors that should indicate the need for urgent evaluation by a medical professional. Jet black, tarry stools are often a sign of upper gastrointestinal bleeding, usually in the stomach or small intestine.
‘Clay or light-colored stools may be a symptom of disease of the liver, bile ducts or pancreas. In general, brown or green stools are considered normal.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Ghassan Alzayer, a gastroenterologist at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC, said said: ‘While stool color is important to note, it is only one factor in good digestion.
‘You should also consider the shape and consistency of your stool and how long it takes for you to have a bowel movement.’
Doctors use it often The Bristol crank chart in clinical practice, first developed in 1997 by researchers from Bristol, England. It classifies the shape of human feces into seven categories.
Stools classified as Types 1 and 2 are characterized by a lumpy and difficult-to-pass consistency, indicating constipation or the infrequent passage of dry and firm stools.
On the other hand, stools that fall under types 3 and 4 exhibit a smooth texture and are typically shaped like sausages, which represents the ideal shape and consistency of stool.
In types 5, 6, and 7, stools range from soft blobs to completely liquid, indicating diarrhea or frequent passing of loose stools.
Dr. Alzayer said, “If you have a bowel movement that looks different, or a bowel movement that is hard or loose, it’s usually not a cause for concern.
‘However, if you have persistently lumpy, hard or loose stools, contact your doctor. It’s also time to see your doctor if you notice blood in your stool, which could indicate a serious problem such as gastrointestinal bleeding, anal fissures, stomach ulcers, or inflammatory bowel disease.