If you Google “constipation” and “heart attack,” the name Elvis Presley will soon come up. Elvis had a protracted history of chronic constipation and It is believed that he tried very hard to poop, which led to a fatal heart attack.
We don’t know what really happened to the so-called King of Rock ‘n’ Roll in 1977. His death was likely the result of several aspects, and this theory is just one of many.
However, after this high-profile case, scientists became very interested in the link between constipation and the risk of heart attack.
This includes the recent test led by Australian researchers, using data from 1000’s of people.
Are constipation and heart attacks related?
Big population studies Constipation has been shown to be related to an increased risk of heart attack.
For example, Australian study followed greater than 540,000 people over the age of 60 in hospital for a range of conditions. It found that patients with constipation had a better risk of hypertension, heart attacks and strokes compared with patients of the same age who did not suffer from constipation.
AND Danish study Studies conducted on a bunch of greater than 900,000 hospital and hospital clinic patients also showed that folks affected by constipation have an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
However, it’s unclear whether the link between constipation and an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes holds true for healthy people outside of hospitals.
The studies from Australia and Denmark also did not take into consideration the effects of medications used to treat hypertension (hypertension), which might cause constipation.
fongbeerredhot/Shutterstock
What do you concentrate on this new study?
The last international studies Researchers led by Monash University have found a link between constipation and an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and heart failure in the general population.
Scientists analyzed data from British Biobanka database containing health information from around half 1,000,000 people in the UK.
Researchers identified greater than 23,000 cases of constipation and took into consideration the impact of medications used to treat hypertension, which might result in constipation.
People with constipation (identified from medical records or a survey) were twice as prone to experience a heart attack, stroke, or heart failure than those without constipation.
Researchers found a powerful link between hypertension and constipation. People with hypertension who also suffered from constipation had a 34% increased risk of a significant heart event compared with individuals with hypertension alone.
The study only checked out data from people of European descent. However, there’s reason to imagine that the link between constipation and heart attacks holds true for other populations as well.
AND Japanese Science studied greater than 45,000 men and women in the general population. They found that those that had a bowel movement every two or three days had a better risk of dying from heart disease compared with those that had a bowel movement at the least once a day.
How can constipation cause a heart attack?
Chronic constipation can result in straining during bowel movements. This may end up in difficulty respiratory and can result in a rise in blood pressure.
IN one Japanese study including ten elderly subjects, blood pressure was high just before defecation and continued to rise during defecation. This increase in blood pressure persevered for an hour afterward, a pattern not seen in younger Japanese subjects.
One theory is that older people have stiffer blood vessels as a result of atherosclerosis (thickening or hardening of the arteries attributable to the buildup of plaque) and other age-related changes. So their hypertension may persist for a while after exercise. But younger people’s blood pressure returns to normal quickly because they’ve more flexible blood vessels.
As blood pressure increases, the risk of heart disease increases. The risk of developing heart disease doubles when your systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure measurement) increases persistently by 20 mmHg (millimeters of mercury, the standard measure of blood pressure).
Increase in systolic pressure with straining during defecation It was reported that as much as 70 mmgHg. This increase is just temporary, but with continued strain in chronic constipation can result in an increased risk of heart attack.
Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock
Some people People that suffer from chronic constipation can have impaired function of the vagus nerve, which controls various body functions including digestion, heart rate, and respiratory.
This impaired function may end up in abnormal heart rhythms and over-activation of the fight-or-flight response. This, in turn, can result in elevated blood pressure.
Another intriguing path tests examines the imbalance of gut bacteria in individuals with constipation.
This imbalance, often called dysbiosis, can allow microbes and other substances to cross the gut barrier into the bloodstream and trigger an immune response. This, in turn, can result in low-level inflammation in the bloodstream and stiffening of the arteries, increasing the risk of heart attack.
The latest study also examined the genetic links between constipation and heart disease. Scientists found common genetic aspects that underlie each constipation and heart disease.
What can we do about it?
Constipation affects roughly 19% of the world’s population aged 60 and older. So a good portion of the population is at increased risk of heart disease as a result of gut health.
Treating chronic constipation by changing your weight-reduction plan (especially increasing the amount of fiber), increasing physical activity, ensuring adequate hydration of the body, and, if essential, using medications, are all essential ways to enhance bowel function and reduce the risk of heart disease.
