What causes constipation in the elderly?

According to relevant data, the majority of people suffering from constipation are elderly. The main reason is related to bad living habits. Common reasons include not developing good eating habits, lack of exercise, etc. In addition, there are:

(1) Insufficient dietary fiber intake

With the development of my country's economy and the improvement of living standards, people have increased their consumption of animal food. They eat more and more non-vegetarian foods such as chicken, duck, fish and meat, and less and less cereal foods, and mainly eat refined rice and refined flour. Because the food is too refined, the intake of dietary fiber is reduced, which leads to slow intestinal peristalsis and difficult defecation, causing constipation. According to a nutritional survey of Chinese residents, the average daily dietary fiber intake per person has dropped from 26 grams to 17 grams. Some studies have shown that the lower the dietary fiber content in feces, the longer it takes for the feces to pass through the intestines. The feces of people who eat a high-fiber diet absorb more water, are larger in volume, and heavier in weight. The time it takes for the feces to pass through the intestines is only 14 hours, while for people who eat a low-fiber diet it can take up to 76 hours, and some can even take up to 144 hours (6 days).

(2) Bad eating habits

Bad eating habits such as drinking, eating spicy food, drinking too little water, and being picky eaters are related to the occurrence of constipation. Improper food choices can also cause constipation. For example, eating more fruits can prevent constipation, but improper selection of fruit varieties may have the opposite effect. Pears and bananas can promote intestinal peristalsis and help improve constipation, while persimmons and apples are rich in tannic acid and eating too much can often aggravate constipation.

(3) Unhealthy lifestyle

Constipation is common among people who sit for long periods of time and lack exercise. Elderly people who have irregular daily routines or have not developed good bowel habits are also prone to constipation. For example, some people cannot defecate on time, and often hold back the urge to defecate and continue to deal with the things at hand, thus postponing defecation. Over time, this will cause the urge to defecate to be suppressed or disappear, thus inducing constipation. Some people like to listen to the radio, read books, newspapers or think about problems while defecating. This often distracts their attention, which not only affects the defecation conditioned reflex, but also easily forms hemorrhoids, which in turn aggravates constipation in the elderly.

(4) Mental tension, stress, and insomnia

Mental factors are also closely related to constipation. According to a survey of more than 3,300 elderly people, the risk of constipation is 30% to 45% higher among elderly people who are nervous, have high psychological pressure, suffer from insomnia or poor sleep quality than those without the above symptoms.