If someone asked us at a social gathering, “How often do you poop?”, we would probably run away—we might even leave the event altogether. However, this question is strongly linked to your overall health. Bowel movements have been an obsession of the pharmaceutical and health industries for decades. That’s why there are countless studies on the subject. A study published in July 2024 investigated in great detail how often more than 1,400 people used the toilet, and discovered a lot about the statistics based on their demographics, genetics, and overall health.
Is there a golden number? Apparently yes; once or twice a day. That was the number of times the healthiest participants went to the bathroom. It seems that bowel movements should work like clockwork. Too much frequency or a prolonged period of several days is associated with various underlying health problems.
Going #2
The frequency of our bowel movements can influence the entire body system. An erratic frequency can be a major risk factor in the development of chronic diseases, says ISB microbiologist Sean Gibbons, corresponding author of the report.
All of this knowledge helps us devise strategies for managing the frequency of our bowel movements, even in healthy populations. Knowing exactly what to expect from our bathroom visits helps us improve our health, well-being, and overall quality of life.
The study focuses on the bathroom habits of people who were generally healthy.
In this case, these were individuals with no history of intestinal kidney problems, such as kidney disease, irritable bowel syndrome, or Crohn’s disease. In the study, participants reported how often they had bowel movements, in such detail that researchers were able to organize them into four categories: constipation in those who reported only one or two bowel movements per week; low normal (for three to six bowel movements per week); high normal for 1-3 bowel movements per day; and finally (excuse our French), diarrhea for those who had 4 or more trips to the bathroom per day.
In addition to the number of times they went to the bathroom, researchers also analyzed patients’ metabolites and blood chemistry, their genetics, and the gut microbes present in their stool samples. During the study, they also looked for possible associations between exposure frequency and health markers, as well as factors such as age and gender.
What the study found about gut health
In general, people who reported less frequent bowel movements tended to be young women with a lower body mass index. Considering these factors, people suffering from both constipation and diarrhea showed a clear relationship with underlying health problems. In other words, the more a person craved, the more normal the number of times they went to the bathroom.
Patients who tended to have diarrhea showed biomarkers associated with liver damage in their blood samples. In addition, bacteria commonly found in the upper gastrointestinal tract were found in the stool samples of these participants.
On the other hand, people with less frequent bowel movements (constipation) showed higher levels of bacteria associated with protein fermentation. This occurs when stool spends too much time in the intestine. In this case, microbes use as much dietary fiber as possible and ferment it into beneficial short-chain fatty acids.
The team of researchers behind this study suggests that the finding is potential evidence of a causal link between bowel movement frequency and overall health. Meanwhile, another German study analyzed active adults who began resistance training two or three times a week. Those who gained more muscle strength also showed changes in the composition of their gut bacteria in just eight weeks.
Changing habits does have a direct link to improved health and the number of times we go to the bathroom. However, patients who were in the ideal range—that is, who went to the bathroom just the right amount—reported consuming more fiber, drinking more water, and exercising frequently.