These Diets May Help Prevent Chronic Constipation: Study Shows

A new study published in Gastroenterology by researchers at Mass General Brigham reveals that middle- and older-age adults who follow a Mediterranean diet or a plant-based diet are significantly less likely to develop chronic constipation. The large-scale study, which followed over 96,000 adults for several years, is among the first to demonstrate that specific dietary patterns can help prevent the onset of this common gastrointestinal condition.

Chronic constipation becomes increasingly prevalent with age and can severely affect quality of life.

“Our findings suggest that as we age, certain healthy diets may provide benefits to our gut beyond the known cardiovascular benefits,” said Dr. Kyle Staller, senior author of the study and a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital.

The researchers used long-term data from the Nurses’ Health Study, Nurses’ Health Study II, and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study to investigate how five popular diets influence the risk of developing chronic constipation. These included the Mediterranean diet, plant-based diet, low-carb diet, Western diet, and inflammatory diet. Participants’ symptoms were tracked, with chronic constipation defined as symptoms lasting at least 12 weeks in a year.