How Long Poop Stays in Your Body May Impact Your Health, Study Finds

July 1
6 mins

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Episode Description

  • The amount of time stool stays inside your body strongly influences your gut bacteria, short-chain fatty acid production, inflammation levels, and metabolic health
  • Researchers found that slower gut transit shifts bacteria away from carbohydrate fermentation and toward protein fermentation, increasing irritating compounds like ammonia and hydrogen sulfide inside the colon
  • A simple blue stool test revealed that people with slower transit times had poorer blood sugar control after meals, higher visceral fat levels, and less favorable metabolic markers
  • High-fat diets slow intestinal movement and create a gut environment linked to constipation, poorer energy production, and bacterial imbalance
  • Your stool texture acts like a daily gut health report card, and improving movement, hydration, and easier-to-digest foods helps restore healthier bowel transit and a more balanced microbiome
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