The good news? If this applies to you, it may be a lifestyle choice, and not your digestive system, that's the problem.
New Study: Eating This Causes Chronic “Fecal Incontinence,” Say Gastroenterology Surgeons
Updated Sep. 14, 2024
You probably know what it feels like when your body is inflamed. You might see acute inflammation or even some swelling when your knees get achy, or experience chronic inflammation, which can make you feel achy, fatigued and bloated, after consuming something inflammatory, like fried food or alcohol.
According to the American Society of Nutrition, inflammation is not necessarily bad—the right amount can help you fight infection or illness, but too much or too little can have serious whole-body health ramifications. Your diet plays a major role in that.
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Eating too many of those inflammatory foods can cause chronic inflammation over time, potentially leading to issues with your heart health, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and more. A new study even found that it can cause major problems for your digestive system, including a disorder called fecal incontinence, which results in accidental bowel leakage.
The July 2024 peer-reviewed study by a team of gastroenterology surgeons at a university hospital in China examined the diets and bathroom habits of 11,747 participants. Participants provided details on what they ate over a two-day period, and the researchers calculated their meals’ Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), which gives a numerical value to inflammatory foods to help pinpoint how much a person is eating.
The researchers also asked participants about their bowel movements, including questions about whether or not they had experienced bowel leakage in the form of “gas, mucus, liquid or solid” in the last 30 days. Participants were also given a Bristol Stool Chart and asked to identify which option most corresponded with their typical stool type. If participants self-reported that they had experienced at least one involuntary “evacuation of solid, mucus, or liquid stools in a month,” it was considered a symptom of fecal incontinence.
The researchers discovered that patients who experienced fecal incontinence had “significantly higher” DII levels in their diet, reporting that a diet higher in inflammation was “significantly correlated” with fecal incontinence. In particular, they noticed older, female non-Hispanic participants experienced a strong connection between DII and fecal incontinence.
Avoiding inflammatory foods can help reduce inflammation in your diet and your body, as can eating anti-inflammatory options, such as fruits, vegetables, and tea, which all tend to contain antioxidants and other nutrients that fight inflammation. If you’re experiencing health side effects such as fecal incontinence that you think could be connected to chronic inflammation, speak to your healthcare provider.
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