Smoking, obesity, and stress. They're all common causes of damaging cardiac events. However, a just-published study says a new culprit should be added to the list of the risks that can hurt our hearts: constipation.
To reach this conclusion, researchers at Monash University in Australia, analyzed health records of individuals in the UK Biobank, an extensive database of 500,000 participants that's been maintained since 2006. The Biobank gathers data from medical imaging, biomarker analysis, and gene sequencing. It also includes information about environmental conditions and lifestyle, including activity levels. Previous analysis of Biobank data has revealed possible genetic markers for loneliness; a link between getting too much light at night and an increased risk of diabetes; how a single night of binge drinking quadruples the risk of liver disease; and much, much more.
For this particular study, the research team analyzed the health records of 408,354 Biobank participants and found 23,814 people suffering from constipation. They then looked deeper into those records and found that those with the condition were more than twice as likely to suffer a major adverse cardiac event (MACE) such as heart attack, stroke or hospitalization for heart failure.
Even more concerning, the study revealed that constipated individuals who were also suffering from high blood pressure had a 34% increased risk of cardiac events compared to people who only had high blood pressure.
“The implications of this study are far-reaching,” says lead study author Francine Marques from Monash's School of Biological Sciences. “With constipation affecting an estimated 14% of the global population, particularly older adults and women, these findings suggest that a significant portion of the population may be at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease due to their bowel health.”
The study also found a genetic link between heart health and constipation.
“Positive genetic correlations were identified between constipation and various forms of MACE, indicating that shared genetic factors may underlie both conditions," says Leticia Camargo Tavares, the co-first author of the study. "This discovery opens new avenues for research into the underlying mechanisms that connect gut health and heart health.”
The researchers point out that more work needs to be done to explore the link they've uncovered and to identify the biological mechanisms involved. One theory they are working with is that constipated individuals can have a theoretical condition known as "leaky gut" in which the permeability of the intestines increases, allowing toxins and bacteria to enter the bloodstream.
Regardless of the cause, the researchers say that constipation should be considered a relevant risk factor affecting cardiac health going forward.
Their work has been published in the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology.
Source: Monash University
