Cigarette smoking is widely known as a health-harming product. That’s why advisories are scattered around public places to remind us about its side effects. Though smoking poses some risks, a lot of people still do it. Some smoke because it has become a habit, while others find it fun and use it for socializing. Surprisingly, smoking has advantages too. Oddly, a few do it to destress and for pooping. So how does cigarette smoking help constipation? Read the research below to know more.
1. Cigarettes as stool softener
Cigarettes soften stools. Healthy and constipated German individuals were the participants of a study that attempted to identify potentially constipating foods and beverages. To conduct this research they asked 122 chronic constipation patients, 766 irritable bowel syndrome with constipation patients, and 200 healthy controls to answer a questionnaire about the effect of foods and beverages on their stool form. surprisingly half of the smokers view smoking as stool softeners. (1)
2. Smoking stimulates the bowel to empty
Smoking can prevent constipation according to a published research paper in 2022 in Cureus. The participants of this study were Parkinson’s disease patients and controls. To determine the association, a cohort of subjects from the UK Biobank UK – a large prospective observational study were included. Participants were recruited from 22 centers located throughout England, Wales, and Scotland between 2006 and 2010. During the study, 501,174 White and British subjects were followed for several months and evaluated. Findings showed that drinking coffee and tea each cup per day reduced Parkinson’s disease risk by 95%. Findings yielded that smoking reduces Parkinson’s disease risk because it stimulates the bowel to empty, prevents constipation, and changes the gut microbiome. (2)
Despite the positive effects of smoking on improving constipation, it is important to remember though that tobacco smoking’s harmful effects might outweigh its protective effects.
Reference:
- (1)Müller-Lissner, S. A., Kaatz, V., Brandt, W., Keller, J., & Layer, P. (2005). The perceived effect of various foods and beverages on stool consistency. European journal of gastroenterology & hepatology, 17(1), 109–112. https://doi.org/10.1097/00042737-200501000-00020 [Abstract]
- (2) Lehrer, S., & Rheinstein, P. H. (2022). Constipation and Cigarette Smoking Are Independent Influences for Parkinson’s Disease. Cureus, 14(1), e21689. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.21689
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