I don't know if this is good news or bad news...
Exercise may not ease constipation
NEW YORK, Nov 23, 1998 (Reuters Health) -- Contrary to popular belief,
regular moderate exercise may not be a remedy for
chronic constipation, the findings from a US study suggest.
Exercise has long been touted as a remedy for chronic constipation of
unknown cause, or ``chronic idiopathic constipation,'' a
condition that is common among the elderly. Some previous research
findings suggest that regular exercise can speed the
passage of food through the digestive system, thereby easing
constipation. But other findings suggest exercise has no effect, or
may even slow, gut ``transit time,'' worsening constipation.
Dr. H. Meshkinpour and colleagues at the University of California,
Irvine, tested the effects of a regular moderate exercise
regimen on eight elderly patients with chronic idiopathic constipation.
Meshkinpour and colleagues report their findings in the
November issue of the journal Digestive Diseases and Sciences.
Over the course of the 6-week study, the patients wore pedometers and
kept track of their physical activity. They also
recorded their bowel movements.
For the first 2 weeks, the patients followed their usual routines. For
the last 4, they spent an hour a day, 5 days per week,
walking on a treadmill at a speed and incline that required ``somewhat
hard'' exertion, the researchers report.
Patients covered an average of 1.8 miles per day the first 2 weeks,
compared with 3.24 miles daily during the last 4 weeks. But
their constipation did not ease despite the increase in exercise,
according to Meshkinpour and colleagues.
It is possible, the researchers note, that a more intense exercise
regimen, over a longer period of time, could ease constipation.
But a more intense program, they add, ``is likely to lose its appeal for
a large segment of the elderly population.''
``On the basis of the data presented here, we conclude that 4 weeks of
regular moderate physical exercise does not alleviate
the slow transit constipation,'' Meshkinpour and colleagues write.
``Therefore, the value of this measure in the management of
chronic idiopathic constipation remains questionable.''
SOURCE: Digestive Diseases and Sciences 1998;43:2379-2383.
--
Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada
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