Whether poop speeds through your gut like a bullet train or takes a more smell-the-roses approach could have more profound implications for your overall health than a first glance would suggest.
According to a 2023 review that brought together data from dozens of studies, distinct differences can be seen between the gut microbiomes of ‘speeders’ and ‘slowpokes’.
Since the human gut microbiome is intrinsically linked to health, this could have implications that have gone unnoticed before now.
In particular, slow transit times and constipation have been linked with metabolic and inflammatory disorders, as well as neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.
Figuring out the microbiome profiles associated with these gut transit times could help develop new ways to treat and manage these conditions.
“By taking into account the interindividual and intraindividual differences in gut transit time, we can advance our understanding of diet–microbiota interactions and disease-related microbiome signatures,” writes a team led by nutritionists Nicola Procházková and Henrik Roager.
Learn more here.
