The analysis is based on health data from more than 400,000 people in the UK Biobank. Those with constipation were two to three times more likely to have a major heart event, according to research from Monash University in Australia.
High blood pressure only seemed to exacerbate the risk. Individuals in the analysis who had both high blood pressure and constipation were 34% more likely to have a heart event.
“Traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity and smoking have long been recognised as major drivers of heart disease. However, these factors alone do not fully explain major heart events. This study explored the potential role of constipation as an additional risk factor, and revealed some concerning findings,” explains medical researcher Francine Marques, from Monash University.
New research from the UK Biobank suggests that constipation is actually an underappreciated risk factor for high blood pressure and major adverse cardiovascular events.
What’s more, there also appears to be a genetic component at play.
Computational biologist Leticiane Camargo-Tarvares, co-first author of the new study, says she and her team at Monash University found significant genetic associations between constipation and various forms of adverse cardiovascular events, “suggesting that common genetic factors may underlie both conditions.”
In recent years, gut health has emerged as a key aspect of personalized medicine, with connections to the heart and brain. Constipation is one of the most common digestive disorders, affecting approximately 14% of the world’s population.
Recent research suggests that a person’s bowel schedule is closely linked to their overall health.
But more research is needed to understand how chronic constipation can affect the cardiovascular system in the long term.
“The implications of this study are far-reaching,” says Marquez. “These findings suggest that a large proportion of the population may be at increased risk of cardiovascular disease because of their gut health.”
The study was published in the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology.
Source: Science Alert
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2024-08-31 20:58:08
