A new study has found that constipation is a common yet overlooked risk factor for cardiovascular events, including heart attacks, heart failure, or stroke.
The analysis is based on the health data of more than 400,000 individuals in the United Kingdom BioBank. Those with constipation were two to three times as likely to suffer a major cardiac event, according to research conducted at Monash University in Australia.
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High blood pressure only seems to exacerbate the danger. Individuals in the analysis who had both hypertension and constipation were 34 percent more likely to suffer a cardiac event.
"Traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity and smoking have long been recognized as key drivers of heart disease," explains medical researcher Francine Marques from Monash.
"However, these factors alone do not fully explain the occurrence of major cardiac events. This study explored the potential role of constipation as an additional risk factor, revealing concerning results."
Perhaps the most famous example of the potentially dangerous consequences of chronic constipation is Elvis Presley. Elvis died straining on the toilet in 1977 at the age of 42 from a massive heart attack.
While there is still great mystery around Elvis' death, and a 'bad' heart and drug abuse most likely played a role, it's also true that he suffered from chronic constipation, probably derived from a poor diet and painkillers.
His autopsy revealed an enlarged 'megacolon' when he died, blocked up by clay-like stool from months before.
While the cause of Elvis' death remains speculative, some experts, including his personal doctor, hypothesize that by forcefully pushing on the toilet, the 'King of Rock and Roll' may have elevated his blood pressure and heart rate to dangerous levels.
The new research from the UK Biobank suggests constipation really is an under-appreciated risk factor for high blood pressure and major adverse cardiovascular events.
What's more, there also seems to be a genetic component at play.
Computational biologist Letician Camargo Tarvares, the co-first author of the new paper, says that she and her team at Monash found significant genetic correlations between constipation and various forms of adverse cardiovascular events, "indicating that shared genetic factors may underlie both conditions."
To that point, Elvis' daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, died of cardiac arrest following a small bowel obstruction at the age of 54, which is a partial or complete blockage of the lower intestines.
In recent years, gut health has emerged as a key facet of personalized medicine, with connections to the heart and brain.
Constipation is one of the most common gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, impacting roughly 14 percent of the global population. Recent research suggests a person's poop schedule is closely linked to their overall health.
But further research is warranted to understand how chronic constipation might impact the cardiovascular system in the long run.
"The implications of this study are far-reaching," says Marques.
"These findings suggest that a significant portion of the population may be at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease due to their bowel health."
The study was published in the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology.
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