In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleWhat Does “Normal” Mean?Factors Affecting Poop FrequencyHow to Stay RegularWhen to See a Health Care ProviderFAQs
In This ArticleView All
View All
In This Article
What Does “Normal” Mean?
Factors Affecting Poop Frequency
How to Stay Regular
When to See a Health Care Provider
FAQs
It’s time to talk sh*t. No, we’re not referring to gossiping about the drama on the latest episode of a Bravo reality show; we’re talking about poop. Stool. Feces. Whatever you want to call it, and as awkward as it can feel to talk about it, we should be doing so a lot more, suggestsWill Bulsiewicz, M.D., a Charleston, South Carolina-based gastroenterologist and the author ofThe Fiber Fueled Cookbook.
What the Appearance of Your Poop Can Tell You About Your Health
“Pooping is somewhat of a taboo topic, but everyone does it, and it’s extremely important to our health,” Bulsiewicz says. He says how often you poop is related to bowel transit time or how long what you eat stays inside you. Bulsiewicz points out that transit time is linked to gut microbiome changes, citing a 2021 study published in the journalGut.
Poop is also linked to heart health; in fact, people who pooped fewer than three times per week had a greater risk of heart disease, heart attacks and stroke, according to a 2020 study inBMJ Open. And a 2023 study published inFrontiers in Cardiovascular Medicinefurther showed a possible link to heart attacks due to microbiota imbalance and inflammation. That’s why it’s important to share science-backed insights to help you know what’s normal—and what’s not—when it comes to your stool. Read on and study up so you can separate what’s healthy from what’s off-track.
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The frequency and time of day of pooping can vary with normal stool, confirmsWilliam W. Li, M.D., an internal medicine physician and scientist in Boston and the author ofEat to Beat Your Diet.Our guts are like our fingerprints—unique to the individual—so the best course of action is to become familiar with your routine and noticewhen you stray from it.
“The most important thing is that you don’t have discomfort. If you’re not having regular bowel movements or feeling fully evacuated after going to the bathroom, you may be experiencing constipation,” saysKenneth Brown, M.D., a gastroenterologist in Plano, Texas, and the host of theGut Check Projectpodcast.
Are you constipated? Here are the symptoms of constipation, per theNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases:
According toStanford Medicine Health Care, the potential complications of chronic constipation include:
On the flip side, pooping more than three times per day, having chronic diarrhea, urgency or waking up at night to poop are all examples of diarrhea-related issues that are worth chatting about with your doctor, Bulsiewicz says.
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Factors That Affect How Often You Poop
How often you poop is personal. You may poop more or less often than the next person due to:
Your Genetics
You may be able to (partly) blame your poop frequency on your parents. Research suggests that there are genetic factors that affect stool consistency and frequency, according to research inCell Genomicsin 2021. Genetics may also influence your gut microbiome.
Your Microbiome
Your microbiome affects many responses in your body, including your BMs. For example, an imbalance of gut bacteria, called dysbiosis, may contribute to chronic constipation, according to 2019 research inFrontiers in Medicine.
Your Age
About one-third of all American adults over 60 havesymptoms of constipation, according to theNIDDK.
Your Lifestyle
What you’ve eaten in the past few meals, the amount of fiber you’re consuming, and your hydration levels impact how much and how often you poop, Li says.
Health Conditions
Many underlying medical conditions can affect your bowel habits, including digestive conditions likeirritable bowel syndrome(IBS) or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as well as other medical problems like thyroid disease.
Medications
Certain medications can cause constipation or diarrhea as a side effect. For instance, NSAIDs (such as ibuprofen), metformin (for diabetes), heartburn medication and chemotherapy drugs can all trigger diarrhea, per theNational Library of Medicine.
3 Ways to Stay Regular
To hit the sweet spot of around one poop per day, or to fall into a steady stool routine that feels good for your gut, try these gastroenterologist-recommended strategies:
The “red flag symptoms” related to digestion, listed below, may indicate a potentially serious underlying condition and warrant prompt medical attention to determine the underlying cause and to receive appropriate treatment, says Bulsiewicz.
The Bottom Line
There’s no one “perfect” cadence for pooping, but the average healthy person poops about once or twice per day, according to gastroenterologists. If you go for more than three days without a bowel movement, you meet the criteria of having constipation. Pay attention to what’s standard for your stools, and watch for any of the red flag symptoms that might be a sign of an underlying illness, gut-related or otherwise.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it can certainly be normal—and healthy—to poop every day. After all, you eat every day, and many people also poop every day.
Food takes about six to eight hours to work through your stomach and small intestine, then about another one-and-a-half days to go through your large intestine for additional digestion. In total, and on average, it takes abouttwo to five daysfor something you eat to make its way through your digestive system and be eliminated through your stool.
If youhaven’t pooped in a couple of daysand that’s normal for you, it’s OK. It’s still considered “normal” to poop three times a week, which means you will not go every day.
If you have fewer than three bowel movements per week, you qualify as having constipation. Most important is that you watch for any stark changes in your stool patterns. If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms listed above in “When to See a Health Care Provider,” consult with your doctor.
What’s “healthy” or “normal” differs depending on your genetics and lifestyle. A healthy frequency can range from three times per day in one person to three times a week in another.
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