What 96,000 adults taught scientists about preventing constipation
- Date:
- November 24, 2025
- Source:
- Mass General Brigham
- Summary:
- A massive long-term study shows that Mediterranean and plant-based diets can help prevent chronic constipation in aging adults. Surprisingly, the benefits weren’t explained by fiber alone. Western and inflammatory diets raised constipation risk, while low-carb diets showed minimal impact. The research underscores how diet quality influences gut health well beyond traditional advice.
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Chronic constipation becomes more common with age. Researchers from Mass General Brigham conducted a new study examining whether five widely followed diets could help prevent chronic constipation in middle- and older-age adults. The team monitored more than 96,000 participants for several years to see how long-term eating habits influenced the likelihood of developing this persistent gastrointestinal issue. Their analysis showed that people who routinely ate a Mediterranean or plant-based diet experienced a lower incidence of constipation. The findings appear in Gastroenterology.
"Chronic constipation affects millions of people and can significantly impact a patient's quality of life," said senior author Kyle Staller, MD, MPH, of the Division of Gastroenterology at Massachusetts General Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system. "Our findings suggest that as we age, certain healthy diets may provide benefits to our gut beyond the known cardiovascular benefits."
Healthy Eating Patterns and Risk Reduction
Previous research has demonstrated that healthy diets can ease constipation symptoms, but this study is the first to show that some diets may actually prevent chronic constipation from developing. "We have always assumed that the benefits of eating a healthy diet would be driven by fiber, but our analyses showed the benefit of these healthy diets on constipation were independent of fiber intake," said Staller.
Using information from the Nurses' Health Study, Nurses' Health Study II and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, the investigators evaluated long-term dietary patterns in middle- and older-age adults and identified who later experienced chronic constipation, which was defined as symptoms lasting at least 12 weeks within a year. The study assessed five diets: the Mediterranean diet, plant-based diet, low-carb diet, Western diet and inflammatory diet. Participants who consistently consumed a Western or inflammatory diet were more likely to develop chronic constipation, while those who followed a low-carb diet did not show a strong effect on constipation risk.
Key Dietary Takeaways
"Our findings suggest a diet rich in vegetables, nuts and healthy fats may help prevent chronic constipation in middle- and older-age adults," said Staller.
Authorship: In addition to Staller, Mass General Brigham authors include Braden Kuo, Madeline Berschback and Andrew T. Chan.
Disclosures: Andrew T. Chan served as a consultant for Pfizer Inc., and Boehringer Ingelheim. Kyle Staller has received research funding from Ardelyx and ReStalsis and has served as a consultant to Ardelyx, Gemelli Biotech, Laborie, Mahana, ReStalsis, Salix, and Takeda. Braden Kuo has been a consultant to Ironwood, Takeda, Atmo, Restalsis, Pahthom. No other disclosures were reported.
Funding: This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (U01 CA167552, UM1 CA186107, P01 CA87969, U01 CA176726, K23DK120945).
Story Source:
Materials provided by Mass General Brigham. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
- Yiqing Wang, Braden Kuo, Madeline Berschback, Curtis Huttenhower, Andrew T. Chan, Kyle Staller. Dietary Patterns and Incident Chronic Constipation in Three Prospective Cohorts of Middle- and Older-Aged Adults. Gastroenterology, 2025; 169 (7): 1475 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2025.06.020
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