By Morgan Nwanguma
A large, long-term study has found that Mediterranean and plant-based diets may significantly reduce the risk of chronic constipation in older adults – and the advantage can’t be attributed to fibre alone. In contrast, Western and pro-inflammatory diets were linked to a higher likelihood of constipation, while low-carb diets made little difference. Overall, the research highlights that the quality of what we eat has a deeper effect on gut health than traditional guidance suggests.
Chronic constipation tends to become more frequent with age, prompting researchers at Mass General Brigham to investigate whether five common dietary patterns could help prevent it. In a study following more than 96,000 middle- and older-aged adults over several years, the team examined how habitual eating styles shaped constipation risk. Their analysis revealed that participants who consistently followed Mediterranean or plant-forward diets developed constipation less often. The results were published in Gastroenterology.
“Chronic constipation affects millions of people and can significantly impact a patient’s quality of life,” said senior author Kyle Staller, MD, MPH, of the Division of Gastroenterology at Massachusetts General Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system. “Our findings suggest that as we age, certain healthy diets may provide benefits to our gut beyond the known cardiovascular benefits.”
Healthy Eating Patterns and Lower Risk
Earlier studies have shown that nutritious diets can help relieve constipation, but this new research is the first to suggest that certain eating patterns may actually prevent chronic constipation from arising in the first place. “We have always assumed that the benefits of eating a healthy diet would be driven by fibre, but our analyses showed the benefit of these healthy diets on constipation were independent of fibre intake,” said Staller.
Drawing on data from the Nurses’ Health Study, Nurses’ Health Study II, and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, the researchers examined long-term eating habits in middle- and older-aged adults and tracked who eventually developed chronic constipation—defined as symptoms lasting at least 12 weeks within a year. They evaluated five major dietary patterns: the Mediterranean diet, plant-based diet, low-carb diet, Western diet, and inflammatory diet. The analysis showed that people who routinely followed Western or inflammatory diets faced a higher risk of chronic constipation, while those adhering to low-carb diets saw no notable change in their risk.
Critical nutritional Takeaways
“Our findings suggest a diet rich in vegetables, nuts and healthy fats may help prevent chronic constipation in middle-and-older-age adults,” said Staller.
Authorship: Apart from Staller, Other Mass General Brigham authors are Braden Kuo, Madeline Berschback and Andrew T. Chan.
Disclosures: Andrew T. Chan served as a consultant for Pfizer Inc., and Boehringer Ingelheim. Kyle Staller has received research funding from Ardelyx and ReStalsis and has served as a consultant to Ardelyx, Gemelli Biotech, Laborie, Mahana, ReStalsis, Salix, and Takeda. Braden Kuo has been a consultant to Ironwood, Takeda, Atmo, Restalsis, Pahthom. No other disclosures were reported.
Financial support: This project was backed by the National Institutes of Health (U01 CA167552, UM1 CA186107, P01 CA87969, U01 CA176726, K23DK120945).
English