I’ve heard friends say, “I’m going to get some yogurt to drink because I’ve been constipated lately.” The reason why yogurt is useful for constipation is the effect of the live bacteria added inside, and the rapid proliferation of beneficial flora, which is very effective in improving constipation and removing inflammation and harmful bacteria. I don’t know if it is advertising or word of mouth, many people drink yogurt as one of the ways to cure constipation, but the claim that yogurt can cure constipation does not necessarily work on everyone. Let’s do a small survey to see how many of our friends find yogurt effective in improving constipation.
Why does yogurt theoretically work?
One of the causes of constipation is intestinal flora imbalance and intestinal dysfunction, so supplementing with probiotics can help improve intestinal flora and regulate intestinal function. The so-called “yogurt” is made from milk fermented with Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, so there is some basis for saying that drinking yogurt can improve constipation.
Why it is not so effective in practice
1, may not drink the right yogurt
Nowadays, there are so many kinds of yogurt that you don’t know what kind to buy. Products like “kefir”, “fermented milk”, “flavored fermented milk”, “yogurt”, etc. are not the same as They are not the same thing as yogurt with real live probiotics.
Real yogurt has live probiotics added to the milk. These bacteria not only help the yogurt to produce its unique flavor but also work together with the intestinal tract in the body to maintain a stable intestinal flora. The common probiotics are Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus, etc., each with its own advantages, added live probiotics to be considered real yogurt.
2, drink the right yogurt, but also to see if it can be effectively absorbed
A truly effective yogurt has live probiotics, and whether these live bacteria can reach the intestines alive and successfully colonize is a problem to be considered, otherwise it may not differ much from drinking sour milk. Probiotics survive in high conditions and must not be subjected to heat, will be killed by stomach acid and will be killed by antibiotics. In order not to drink yogurt for nothing, when drinking yogurt we need to be careful to avoid these factors that can easily lead to the death of probiotics, probiotics have to reach the intestine alive to be the beginning of victory.
Some suggestions: Yogurt needs to be refrigerated to ensure the activity of lactic acid bacteria, so buy refrigerated yogurt and store it refrigerated after buying; before drinking it, you can put it slightly at room temperature and heat it to avoid exceeding body temperature; avoid using it with antibiotics at the same time; avoid using it with sausages, bacon, ham and other meat products that add preservatives; drinking yogurt after meals may help probiotics survive and colonize the intestines; Drinking a brand of yogurt for a long time is more likely to work, and it is difficult to get enough probiotics to have a place in the many intestinal bacteria.
3, there are many reasons for constipation, intestinal flora shadow is only one of them
Although yogurt can regulate intestinal flora and improve intestinal function, but we should not forget that the occurrence of constipation is caused by multiple factors, not just focus on one of them.
Too fine diet, low intake, insufficient intake of fruits and vegetables: If there is little residue after food digestion, the colon can not form enough volume of feces, it is difficult to produce stool every day, especially for women constipation.
Bad defecation habits: If you deliberately hold back the urge to defecate when it comes, this will also lead to the fading of the urge to defecate in the long run, causing functional constipation, and for example, playing with cell phones and reading newspapers while defecating.
Do not like to exercise, drink enough water: too little exercise will make the colon peristalsis decrease, on the contrary, increased exercise will promote intestinal peristalsis. In addition, if the water is not enough, the intestines will absorb more water in the stool, making the stool dry and hard.
Age: Constipation is more common in the elderly, mainly related to age, coupled with reduced activity in the elderly, more prone to constipation.
Others: The above mostly refers to functional constipation. Constipation is more likely to occur when there is an organic pathological basis, such as intestinal obstruction, post-infarction constipation, pelvic floor muscle disorders, diabetes, hormonal effects, etc. Not all constipation can be solved by drinking yogurt, these causes of constipation need to be treated accordingly.
Besides drinking yogurt, what are the best suggestions to improve constipation?
If constipation occurs, we still sit all day, do not like to exercise, do not like to drink water, do not eat vegetables and fruits, then yogurt drink more and more good is also very little effect, sometimes the treatment of constipation is a multi-pronged approach.
1, eat more dregs of food, replenish enough water
Fiber is an important factor in the formation of feces and promote defecation, fiber can stimulate the intestinal tract to accelerate peristalsis, can increase the water in the fecal mass, so that the fecal mass expands, stimulate intestinal peristalsis, so that the bowel movement is smooth. Therefore, food should not eat too fine, to ensure that fiber accounts for 30-50% of the volume of food, but at the same time, also have to drink enough water, dietary fiber to play the role of intestinal laxative, or fiber “block intestine”, will make constipation more serious.
2, exercise
Exercise can stimulate intestinal peristalsis, a very simple reason, you move intestines also move, we gastrointestinal surgery patients are encouraged to get out of bed as soon as possible, the purpose is to promote intestinal motility recovery. The way of exercise is not limited to walking, jogging, doing gymnastics, it varies from person to person, in any case, to ensure a certain amount of physical activity. Before and after the exercise should pay attention to replenish water.
3, good bowel habits
The human body has two defecation “natural time”: one is to get up in the morning “up reflex”; the other is after eating the “stomach – colon reflex”. In the morning, when you get up, from lying to sitting to standing, the intestinal peristalsis will increase, and the intestines will produce a huge peristaltic wave, helping you to push out the stool. After breakfast, the gastrocolic reflex is obvious (the stomach informs the colon to move quickly), creating another bowel movement “time of day”. Therefore, awakening the natural bowel reflex to improve constipation has a half-hearted effect.
4.Rational use of drugs
Laxatives can be preferred to volumetric laxatives and osmotic laxatives, for patients with severe constipation, can also be short-term moderate application of stimulant laxatives, but do not rely on stimulant laxatives. The new secretory drugs are less tolerable, such as linaclotide and lubiprostone. But the specific use of drugs should consult a specialist, do not use indiscriminately, otherwise the more drugs may be used or even no drugs available.
In conclusion: yogurt has the function of regulating intestinal flora, improving intestinal function and promoting intestinal peristalsis, but not all constipation can be solved with yogurt. To improve constipation is a systematic project, we must start from many aspects, thinking about which yogurt to drink alone to treat the effect is very limited, if not effective should be combined with more vegetables and fruits and other multi-fiber food, more physical exercise, good bowel habits, drinking more water and other multi-pronged approach.