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The Scoop About Your Poop; What’s so Important?

by Debra J. McGinley

The scoop about your poop; what’s so important? We all do it, right? At least, we should. On a daily basis. With normal consistency and form. And without support or effort. Focusing on bowel movements is non-negotiable in my practice, as it is essential to optimize health. There are far too many consequences of not pooping on the regular in a healthy manner. So, let’s talk about it, starting with the liver.

Introducing the Liver

The liver is the largest solid organ in that body that performs over 500 functions, making it an essential organ. It serves to remove toxins from the body’s blood supply, regulates blood clotting, balances blood sugar levels, and more.

Some of the most important functions of the liver include:

  • Albumin Production: Albumin is a protein found in the blood preventing leakage into surrounding tissues, and carry vitamins, hormones, and enzymes through the body.
  • Bile Production: Bile is a fluid that is critical for the digestion and absorption of fats within the small intestines.
  • Filtration: As the blood leaves the stomach and intestines, it passes through the liver, which is responsible for removing toxins, byproducts, and other harmful substances found within the blood.
  • Amino Acid Regulation: Amino acids produce proteins, which are essential, so the liver ensures levels of amino acids in the blood remain adequate.
  • Blood Clotting Regulation: Blood clotting coagulants are created using vitamin K, which can only be absorbed by bile and is produced by the liver.
  • Resist Infections: The liver removes bacteria from the bloodstream, as part of its role in filtration, helping the body to resist infections.
  • Vitamins and Minerals Storage: Fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, as well as vitamin B12, iron and copper are stored in significant amounts within the liver.
  • Glucose Regulation: The liver removes excess glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream and stores it as glycogen, which can be converted back into glucose when energy is needed.

As you can see, the liver plays an integral role to our health. The scoop about your poop; what’s so important? It’s a major indication of healthy detoxification.

Detoxification Pathways

The liver is a major regulator of detoxification, and your bowel movement is the end product! In order to produce a bowel movement, the liver performs three phases of detoxification. Let’s review:

  • Phase 1 detoxification regards a family of enzymes called Cytochrome P450, or CYP450. These detoxification enzymes are triggered in the presence of external toxins, including caffeine, alcohol, recreational drugs, medications, hormones (estrogen, testosterone, progesterone), procarcinogens (cigarettes, paint fumes, etc.), pesticides and xenoestrogens (estrogen mimicking compounds like BPA, phthalates, pesticides, etc.). They take these harmful substances and convert them into intermediates, which are more toxic than in their original form, making it critical for the liver to manage them effectively.
  • Phase 2 detoxification is the conjugation phase. This is where the highly toxic intermediate toxins are converted into non-toxic forms that can be excreted into bile and stool (fat-soluble) or urine (water-soluble). Things like sex hormones and xenoestrogens are fat-soluble, meaning the liver must stick them into bile in order to be excreted or eliminated through stool. This demonstrates the importance of having healthy bile production and flow, otherwise these toxins are left within the body to be recycled and cause damage.
  • Phase 3 detoxification is the elimination phase. This is where we remove toxins from the body. Fat-soluble substances are packaged into bile and eliminated through stool, whereas water-soluble substances go to the kidneys and leave via urination.

Toxins not removed through our stools cause inflammation throughout the body. Symptoms may present such as bloating, nausea, stomach pains, and either constipation or diarrhea.

The scoop about your poop; what’s so important? The consequences of not pooping can be far greater, such as increased risks for cardiovascular events, blood sugar dysregulation, and hormone imbalances.

What Does a Healthy Poop Look Like?

Great question! Let me introduce you to the Bristol Stool Chart.

A normal bowel movement is a Type 3 or 4, where it’s a sausage or snake like stool with either smooth or minor cracks in the surface. Constipation is a Type 1 or 2 bowel movement, where you may be straining to pass your poop and/or need stool softeners to go. Type 5 indicates a lack of fiber, whereas both Types 6 and 7 indicate inflammation where the more inflammatory the response, the more diarrhea. The scoop about your poop; what’s so important? How you are pooping is an indication of how healthy your liver is.

What Causes the Inability to Poop?

There are many causes for sluggish bowel movements. They include:

  • A lack of fiber. Low dietary fiber will cause loose or sluggish stools. According to the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans, women should be consuming at a minimum 25 grams of fiber a day, while men should be aiming for a minimum of 30 grams. This will vary for each individual.
  • Magnesium deficiencies. In today’s society, this is very common.
  • Dysbiosis. An overgrowth of yeast or pathogenic microbes in the GI tract, or lack of beneficial microbes, may cause loose or sluggish poops.
  • Food sensitivities or intolerances. Quite often, this will cause diarrhea or constipation.
  • Dehydration. If we don’t have adequate fluid, stools will become bulky and not have motility. Generally speaking, the general population does not drink enough throughout the day.

When we have diarrhea, we typically are having an inflammatory response that can be a result of food sensitivities/intolerances, infections, medications, diseases like IBS, Crohn’s, or ulcerative colitis, thyroid and hormone imbalances and more.

How Does Nutrition Play a Role?

One of the most powerful and influential ways to support liver health and detoxification is to eat nutrient dense foods. This is because they contain antioxidants, which reduce inflammation, oxidative stress, and prevent cell damage. Nutrient dense foods consist of quality fats and proteins, which regulate blood sugar levels and prevent against diabetes and liver disease.

They also contain fiber, which helps the liver to function properly and optimally. In fact, fiber supports bowel movements, ridding the body of the waste products and toxins that cause harm.

What types of food are best for healthy liver and detoxification?

  • Cruciferous vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale
  • Grapefruit
  • Blueberries and cranberries
  • Grapes
  • Fatty fish
  • Olive oil
  • Nuts
  • Turmeric
  • Ginger
  • Garlic
  • Coffee
  • Tea

And don’t forget adequate hydration. Review my blog on how much water you should be consuming on a daily basis to ensure properly motility.

The scoop about your poop; what’s so important? It’s a sign of health! If you’re struggling with regularity and want to learn how to fix this, let’s talk!