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Surprising Connection Between Digestive Health And Heart Risks

A recent study suggests that constipation may heighten the risk of experiencing a heart attack or stroke, especially among individuals with high blood pressure. The research indicates that those suffering from constipation face twice the risk of significant cardiovascular issues compared to individuals with regular bowel movements.

Specifically, the findings reveal that constipated individuals are 2.7 times more likely to develop heart failure, 2.4 times more likely to experience a stroke, and 1.6 times more likely to suffer from a heart attack or chest pain. Dr. Tenghao Zheng, a clinical data analyst at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, led the research team, highlighting the potential for these findings to inform new treatment options and tailored management strategies within the framework of precision medicine.

In this study, data from over 400,000 participants in the U.K. Biobank project were examined. This extensive biobank includes electronic health records, lifestyle questionnaires, and self-reported information regarding health conditions and medications. Previous studies have already indicated a connection between constipation, high blood pressure, and heart disease, and this latest research further explores the relationship between constipation and severe cardiovascular events, particularly in individuals with hypertension.

The analysis revealed that individuals who were both constipated and hypertensive faced a 68% greater risk of serious heart-related issues compared to those who had high blood pressure alone. Additionally, researchers discovered a genetic overlap between constipation and heart disease, with constipation sharing 21% to 27% of genetic variants associated with cardiovascular problems, despite being an inherited condition only about 4% of the time.

These findings, which were published in the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, underscore the need for further investigation to deepen the understanding of the connection between constipation and heart health. The research team emphasized the identification of constipation as a potential independent risk factor for an increased prevalence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE).