HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU GO TO THE LOO?

WHAT’s normal and what’s not when it comes to bowel movements?

‘Anything from several times a week to three times a day is in the normal range,’ says Dr simon smale a consultant gastroenterologist at York Hospital NHs Trust and spokesman for the Love Your Gut campaign.

‘It’s also about whether the stool is easy to pass or you have to strain.’

severe chronic constipation, less than three bowel movements a week or difficulty passing stools, affects up to two million people in the UK.

For a one-off episode where you have an obvious reason for your constipation, such as a hospital stay or a longhaul flight, it’s fine to take an overthe-counter remedy such as senna (a herbal laxative made from pods of the Cassia tree which stimulates the gut), he says. ‘But you should not take

these long-term. Constipation should be prevented by a healthy y diet, drinking plenty of fluids and exercise.’

People who have IBs shouldn’t use senna, as they can build up a tolerance and so need to take more and more to get the same effect

Between 15 and 30 percent of patients with chronic constipation have a condition called slow transit constipation where their got doesn't

move waste at the normal rate. the advice to eat more fibre may make the problem worse, says Professor Julian Walters, a consultant gastroenterologist at Imperial College Healthcare. ‘Bran is a poorly tolerated source of fibre and can make pain and bloating worse in some constipated people.

‘So if you find fibre makes things worse, you may need to see ag a st roenterologi st .’

RED FLAG: See your doctor if you have unexplained weight loss, a family history of colon or ovarian cancer, rectal bleeding and symptoms that wake you at night. ‘I also take more notice if a person over 50 comes to see me with new gut symptoms,’ says Dr Smale.