Constipation: How it can have an impact on heart health

Feeling blocked up? Well, that could be more than just a gut issue. Constipation, often dismissed as a minor health concern, may pose serious risks to heart health, according to emerging research. Understanding the connection between gut health and heart function is crucial for prevention and overall wellness.

What is constipation

Constipation is a condition in which you may have fewer than three bowel movements a week. This means the poop would be hard, dry, or lumpy. The individuals with constipation may have difficulty or pain in passing the stool or a feeling that not all the stool has passed.

The gut-heart connection

While occasional constipation could be due to a change in the diet, lack of exercise, medication, or any underlying diseases, feeling blocked up often is not a great sign. Chronic constipation is one of the most prevalent conditions, and it increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, potentially through the effect of gut bacteria.

High blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, smoking, and age are common heart disease risk factors. But a recent study found the heart and gut connection. Constipation, a condition that also increases with age, is associated with high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, regardless of these traditional risks or related medications.

A recent study that analysed over 400,000 people in the UK Biobank found that those with constipation had a higher risk of major heart problems compared to those with regular bowel movements. People with both high blood pressure and constipation faced an even greater risk, 34% higher, than those with high blood pressure alone. Researchers also found a genetic link between constipation and heart issues.

An analysis of medical-record data from more than 17.5 million patients in 2018 showed that people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at elevated risk for a heart attack, regardless of whether or not they have traditional risk factors for heart disease, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and smoking. The research presented at the American College of Cardiology found that people between the ages of 18 and 24 are at the highest risk.

"Younger patients had about nine times the risk of a heart attack compared to their peers in the same age group [who didn't have IBD], and this risk continued to decline with age. Our findings suggest that IBD should be considered an independent risk factor for heart disease,” lead author Muhammad S. Panhwar, MD, a resident in internal medicine at Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center in Cleveland said in a statement.


A 2017 study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology also showed the association between constipation and kidney diseases. The study found that people with constipation had a 13% higher likelihood of developing chronic kidney disease and a 9% higher likelihood of developing kidney failure, compared to other who didn’t. More severe constipation was linked with an incrementally higher risk for both chronic kidney disease and kidney failure.



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