Dietary Causes of Constipation
Diet: not a cure-all
Diet is not always one of the causes of constipation. In a recent study, only about 30% of patients with idiopathic constipation responded to fiber therapy. Certainly for patients who can identify the causes of constipation as a organic disease or the result of neurological impairment should focus on treating that cause.
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However, for sufferers of primary or idiopathic constipation, in which the cause of constipation is unknown, diet should still be the first line of action for constipation treatments strategies. This is because dietary modification is relatively inexpensive and easy to carry out.
Types of fiber
The federal guidelines for intake of dietary fiber is 25-30 grams per day for an adult. However, this is only a guideline and omits the subtleties in categorization of fibers that humans can eat. Fiber belongs to roughly two categories: soluble and insoluble. The soluble fiber is named by virtue of the fact that it can absorb water, becoming a gel-like substance as it passes through the gastrointestinal tract. The insoluble kind does not absorb water. Both types of fiber are not absorbed by the body and are suitable for use as constipation treatments. However, it should be noted that the soluble type of fiber can be digested by bacteria, causing it to undergo changes while in the body.
Sources of fiber
Sources of dietary fiber are either the fruits and vegetables or grains. Fiber content will vary greatly from one fruit to another. Some fruits, like bananas, have virtually no fiber. Other fruits like avocados have high fiber content. Eating sufficient fruits and vegetables to satisfy the FDA guidelines of 25 grams may be somewhat difficult. To address this shortfall, health and nutrition companies have marketed fiber supplements such as oat or wheat bran. A few spoonfulls of these powdered or pelleted products contain enough fiber as constipation treatments for the whole day.
Fiber therapy
Whether or not diet is suspected to be the causes of constipation, the physician will start off by prescribing intensive, high-dose fiber constipation treatments using these supplements. The time to observe substantive changes in stool passage is about two weeks, for the digestive tract to become acclimated to the sudden change in fiber intake. Initially, there may be feels of bloat or gas because the intestinal fauna may process the fiber or the excess fiber alters the water chemistry of the gastrointestinal tract. However, after two weeks, intestinal activity should settle down to more normal patterns. At this time, the patient and the physician can decide whether or not the high doese fiber therapy is working.
Myths about water intake
It is often said that water intake must be increased for the full benefits of relieving constipation. However, the research on this topic is contradictory. Some studies have shown that whether a peson gets one or two liters of water a day, while on a high fiber diet, seems to make little difference in the improvement of evacuation frequency. Other studies have shown that low fiber and low water intake mutually reinforce each problem for constipated patients. Perhaps it should be stressed that the patient should at least receive adequate water intake, which federal health guidelines put at 8 to 12 glasses per day.
Non-responsive patients
Statistics show that only about 30% of patients with slow transit constipation will benefit from fiber constipation treatments. Therefore, dietary modification alone will not solve constipation symptoms in many patients.
Sources:
Muller-Lissner, The Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Constipation, Deutsches Arzteblatt International, 2009; 106(25):424-32