assess

Intestinal transit has almost always been a taboo topic, surrounded by myths, home remedies and, above all, uncomfortable silences even before a medical consultation. However, what happens in our intestine is a very important indicator of the overall health of the body, and that is why science imposes different figures on what is considered “going to the bathroom well”, and has also redeemed gas. Which is normal. For years, the range of what was considered a “normal” bowel rhythm was enormously wide, ranging from three times a week to three times a day. However, an exhaustive study published in 2024 limited this window to much more exact figures. To do this, 1,400 healthy adults were analyzed and they saw that the ideal area in which we should move It is to make 1 to 2 bowel movements a day. But he went even further by correlating the number of bowel movements with the presence of constipation or not: 1-2 bowel movements a week is considered constipation. 3-6 bowel movements a week is considered to have a normal-low transit. 1-3 bowel movements a day is considered to have a normal-high transit. With more than 20 bowel movements a week we are talking about diarrhea. What it indicates. What is truly revealing is not just the number, but what happens in our body when we move away from it, since researchers discovered that constipation causes intestinal bacteria, running out of fiber to ferment, to begin fermenting proteins. This process generates microbial toxins in the blood, such as p-cresol sulfate and indoxyl sulfate, metabolites that have been shown to be directly associated with damage to the kidneys and worse functioning of the body in general in the long term. The gases. It is undoubtedly a great stigma and we think that if we do not have gas throughout the day, we must be happy, but the reality is very different, since if we want to go to the bathroom at least once a day, we must consume a good amount of fiber. And this is where the collateral “damage” most feared by many comes in: flatulence. A study published in 2023 specifically pointed out that having gas is, in the vast majority of cases, the unequivocal sign that we have a healthy microbiota working at full capacity. Beneficial bacteria from genera such as Bacteroids, Ruminococcus either Roseburia They feed on fiber that we cannot digest and the byproduct of that microbial feast is gas. But curiously, 99% of these gases do not have any type of odorbeing hydrogen or carbon dioxide, causing the remaining 1% to have a bad smell because it is composed of sulfur gases. A good microbiota. knowing we need fiber To achieve ideal transit and prevent toxins from reaching the blood, the challenge is to introduce it into the diet while minimizing discomfort. Current scientific guidelines establish a clear roadmap, marking how aim the intake of 25 grams of fiber in the case of women and 38 grams in men. But it is a mistake to go from 10 to 40 grams of fiber overnight, since intestinal microbiology experts recommend a gradual introduction of fiber, starting with changing just half a slice of white bread to whole wheat to give bacterial populations time to adapt. It can be a problem. Although gas is normal, chronic pain or paralyzing bloating is not, and for those for whom the increase in fiber translates into symptoms of this nature, it is necessary to go to a doctor’s office to have a study done with the aim of targeting a very specific diet that favors intestinal transit. Images | Sasun Bughdaryan In Xataka | “Eating mixed nuts helps your brain health”: What science knows about how a hazelnut affects your memory