Posted on 08/06/2023 6:54:54 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
A relatively common health problem—constipation—has been shown to be a risk factor for hypertension and cardiovascular events such as stroke in people over 60.
The extensive study of over half a million hospital admissions in Victoria suggests that interventions to address constipation may reduce these risks in elderly patients.
The study, led by Professors Grant Drummond and Chris Sobey, looked at 541,172 hospitalized patients over 60 years of age.
For each constipation admission, one exact age-matched non-constipated admission was randomly selected from all hospitalizations within two weeks to form the control arm of the study.
The researchers found that patients with constipation had almost double the risk for hypertension, and were also more likely to suffer from major cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke.
The number of people with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) has nearly doubled over the past 30 years, and the number of deaths from CVD has increased from 12.1 million to 18.6 million during this time.
While it is unclear whether constipation is a direct the cause of hypertension in elderly patients, according to Professor Sobey,
"Such a relationship is plausible because in constipation there is increased water absorption from the gut, microbiota changes, and inflammation, all of which could lead to hypertension," Professor Sobey said.
The study found that:
- constipation in patients was associated with a 96% increased risk of hypertension and also a an increased risk of myocardial infarction, stroke and all cardiovascular events, compared to patients with no constipation
- patients with both constipation and hypertension had a more than 500% higher risk of cardiovascular events than patients with neither condition.
- these relationships were similar in males and females
- 15.2% of people over 60 in the study suffered from constipation
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Most people can truly prevent this. I even make sure I get several forms of fiber a day. Depending on age, we may need near 40 grams of various fibers a day, minimum.
That’s a lot of fiber, but your bowel movements should prove easy.
It’s never a problem for me, but I eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. I like buying cut-up watermelon, honeydew and cantaloupe. Best snack ever. We just passed the peak of cherry season (boy, were they good this year) and are now into fresh peach season and fresh corn season. I don’t eat processed food very often.
Regularity, that’s my name.
No wonder tense people are told to loosen up.
Have some prunes.
Beans and prunes contribute to kidney stones.
Look up oxylates.
The cherries were OUTSTANDING this year. ABSOLUTELY !
Buy some psyllium fiber. Add a teaspoon or so to soups, stews, casseroles, baked goods. If you add too much, you get a jelly like texture. No taste whatsoever. Can also just dissolve in water.
Eating fiber is rewarded in most types of diets. Weight Watchers “points” and carbs in a Keto diet are netted less fiber. Fiber is undigestible carbs. I’ve eaten low carb for years. Fiber is critical to success and definitely keeps things moving with such low elimination.
Note the timing of this so-called news and that it’s coming from Australia.
My take: constipation has help, doesn’t it...
Yup.. That's the solution that works almost every time for me..
GET UP AND DO SOMETHING.!!
Like salt it seems to be a problem for a few and not a problem for most.
“My take: constipation has help, doesn’t it...”
Australia has the advantage of being “down there”?
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