Research links chronic constipation to cognitive decline

[Sly Saint]

In the first research to look at constipation's impact on the aging brain, scientists have found some concerning links.

Being chronically constipated, defined by the authors as having a bowel movement only every three or more days, has been linked with a 73% higher risk of subjective cognitive decline, according to research presented Wednesday at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Amsterdam.

"Our study provided first-of-its-kind evidence that examined a wide spectrum of bowel movement frequency," said Dr. Chaoran Ma, the research's first author and assistant professor in the department of nutrition at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, via email. "We were surprised at how strong the associations were, especially for those with very infrequent bowel movements."

Other research presented at the same conference Wednesday had similar findings. In one abstract of 140 middle-aged adults, having lower levels of neuroprotective gut bacteria Butyricicoccus and Ruminococcus was associated with elevated levels of Alzheimer's disease biomarkers.

In another, of more than 1,000 adults, those with poor cognition had abnormally high amounts of the bacteria Alistipes and Pseudobutyrivibrio compared with other participants. Alistipes bacteria have previously been linked with anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression and hypertension.

https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphi...th-cognitive-decline-alzheimers-colon-health/

 

[Trish]

Alistipes bacteria have previously been linked with anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression and hypertension.

I wonder whether that data comes from an ME/CFS study, or from asking people in gut bacterial studies whether they are fatigued.

 

[CRG]

Constipation Associated with Cognitive Aging and Decline

Key Takeaways:

Chronic constipation — one bowel movement every three days or more — could signal worsening cognition.
People who were chronically constipated had worse cognition equal to three years of aging, according to the study, which is the first to look at constipation’s potential impact on the aging brain.
The new findings add to mounting research aligning a healthy gut with a healthy brain.

AMSTERDAM, JULY 19, 2023 — Experiencing less frequent bowel movements is associated with cognitive decline, according to new research reported today at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference® (AAIC®) 2023, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and online.

Two additional studies define specific gut bacteria that are associated with increased dementia risk, as well as gut bacteria that may be neuroprotective. Previous research has connected the health and makeup of the gut microbiome, which is the community of microorganisms that live in our digestive tracts, with a number of other vital body functions.

“Our body systems are all interconnected,” said Heather M. Snyder, Ph.D., Alzheimer’s Association vice president of medical and scientific relations.” “When one system is malfunctioning, it impacts other systems. When that dysfunction isn’t addressed, it can create a waterfall of consequences for the rest of the body.”

“Still, there are a lot of unanswered questions about the connection between the health of our digestive system and our long-term cognitive function,” Snyder said. “Answering these questions may uncover novel therapeutic and risk-reduction approaches for Alzheimer’s and other dementias.”

To study this relationship further, the Alzheimer's Association U.S. Study to Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Risk (U.S. POINTER), with support from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, is examining the impact of behavioral interventions on the gut-brain axis to better understand how engaging in healthier habits impacts microorganisms in the gut and how changes in gut bacteria relate to brain health.

“While we await the results of the POINTER-Microbiome study, people should talk to their doctor about their digestive health and ways to alleviate constipation, such as increasing dietary fiber and drinking more water,” Snyder said. “Eating well and taking care of your gut may be a pathway to reduce risk of dementia.”

 

[Andy]

I wonder whether that data comes from an ME/CFS study, or from asking people in gut bacterial studies whether they are fatigued.

Can't know if these are what they are referring to but there are these studies (neither of which we have a thread for)

"patients presented increased proportions of Lactonifactor and Alistipes, as well as a decrease in several Firmicutes populations.", https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1075996413000929

"Increased abundance of unclassified Alistipes and decreased Faecalibacterium emerged as the top biomarkers of ME/CFS with IBS", https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40168-017-0261-y

 

[Arnie Pye]

If someone is constipated it must happen for a reason. But finding that reason and fixing it is rarely on anyone's radar. It seems more likely to me that the reason for the constipation causes the cognitive decline rather than the constipation itself.

 

[Trish]

Compared with people who pooped once a day, constipated participants had significantly worse cognition equivalent to three years more of chronological cognitive aging, the authors found. Increased risk was also found among those who pooped more than twice daily, though these higher odds were small.

 

[rvallee]

the U.S. National Institutes of Health, is examining the impact of behavioral interventions on the gut-brain axis to better understand how engaging in healthier habits impacts microorganisms in the gut

FFS this is just fanatical at this point. If we're talking about healthy eating habits, and this is clearly far more complicated than that here, there is zero need to coax this in some behavioral intervention nonsense with some sprinkles of "gut-brain" BS.

Medicine really ought to stick to biology, the further they get from it the worse it is and they are absolutely terrible at dealing with whole human beings. They've been trying this stuff for decades and haven't gone anywhere with any of it, mostly because they keep doing the same nonsense rituals over and over again.

And it's not as if psychology is any better at it. They may think so but they're not. Their models are beyond reductive and they apply them mindlessly, negating any positive impact they could have if properly used. All this New Age stuff did is create a giant and equally useless industry that does nothing but suck funds away from where they are needed.

 

[Wonko]

I'm not sure that this isn't just a snide way of them saying that in their professional opinion people with cognitive issues are full of sh$%.