Diet Influences Constipation Risk, Study Says

Key TakeawaysDieting can help a person avoid constipationA Mediterranean diet or plant-based diet lowers risk of constipationA traditional Western diet increases risk.MONDAY, July 14, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Worried about maintaining your regularity as you grow older?Changing your diet can reduce the risk of chronic constipation in middle-aged folks and seniors, a new study says.The Mediterranean diet and plant-based diets were found to best ward off constipation, researchers reported recently in the journal Gastroenterology.“Chronic constipation affects millions of people and can significantly impact a patient’s quality of life,” senior researcher Dr. Kyle Staller, a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said in a news release.“Our findings suggest that as we age, certain healthy diets may provide benefits to our gut beyond the known cardiovascular benefits,” he continued.Healthy diets are known to ease constipation, but this is the first study to show certain diets might be able to prevent it in the first place, researchers said.For the study, they analyzed data on nearly 96,000 people who participated in three studies tracking the physical condition of health professionals. Participants regularly filled out diet questionnaires as part of the studies.More than 7,500 cases of constipation occurred among the participants during up to four years of follow-up, the study found.Researchers analyzed participants’ diets based on adherence to five different types of eating patterns: Mediterranean diet, low-carb diet, Western diet, plant-based diet, and a diet aimed at reducing inflammation.Plant-based diets reduced constipation risk by 20%, while Mediterranean diets reduced risk by 16%, results show.The Mediterranean diet emphasizes plenty of vegetables, fruits, beans, lentils, whole grains, nuts, seeds, olive oil, herbs and spices. Dairy, fish and poultry are eaten a few times a week, and red meat and processed meat are enjoyed less often.On the other hand, a Western diet loaded with red and processed meats, refined grains, fatty foods and sugary sweets increased risk of chronic constipation by 22%, and a diet high in foods that promote inflammation increased risk by 24%.“Our findings suggest a diet rich in vegetables, nuts and healthy fats may help prevent chronic constipation in middle- and older-age adults,” Staller said.Interestingly, these results where not influenced by the amount of fiber a person ate.“We have always assumed that the benefits of eating a healthy diet would be driven by fiber, but our analyses showed the benefit of these healthy diets on constipation were independent of fiber intake,” Staller said.However, more studies involving larger, younger and healthier groups of people are needed to validate these findings, researchers added.More informationThe National Institutes of Health has more about constipation.SOURCES: Mass General Brigham, news release, July 2, 2025; Gastroenterology, July 2, 2025 .What This Means For YouPeople who want to avoid constipation should eat more fruits and veggies, and avoid red and processed meats, researchers say..Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter