Can taking hormone supplements during menstruation relieve constipation? Does drinking tea after a meal help with bowel movements? Nutrition professor reveals: 3 myths about constipation relief

Whenever menstruation comes, many women will suffer from constipation. Even if they eat more fruits and vegetables, it is difficult to get rid of this curse. Many people have heard that drinking a cup of tea after a meal can relieve greasiness, aid digestion, and promote bowel movements, but why is there no effect? Experts say that the above methods are mostly myths or fragmentary knowledge among the public about relieving constipation. They have no definite basis, are not complete and comprehensive, and certainly cannot play a role in improving constipation.

Professor Wang Jinkun from the Department of Nutrition at Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences said that modern people are under great work pressure, have irregular work and rest schedules, lack of exercise, and always eat out for three meals a day. Long-term high-oil and high-salt eating habits can easily lead to nutritional imbalance and insufficient dietary fiber intake, making it impossible for the digestive tract to function smoothly, leading to abnormal digestive tract symptoms such as abdominal distension and constipation. If you blindly believe in and try unfounded folk remedies for relieving constipation, not only will you fail to fundamentally solve the symptoms of constipation, but you may also make the constipation problem worse. The following are three common myths about constipation:

3 common constipation myths

Myth 1: Drinking tea can help relieve greasiness and aid bowel movements?

In recent years, the tea beverage market has been popular! Both hand-shaken tea and canned tea are very popular among the public. Many people do not like colorless and tasteless boiled water, so they often use green tea, black tea and other teas to replace their daily water intake.

In fact, drinking tea after meals or replacing water with tea may be the main cause of worsening constipation problems. The tannic acid components contained in tea, when combined with protein and sugar derivatives, will have an astringent effect on the intestinal mucosa, slowing down gastrointestinal motility, which will cause constipation in the long run. Therefore, patients who suffer from constipation are advised to reduce their daily consumption of tea beverages to effectively prevent the occurrence of constipation.

The tannic acid components contained in tea, when combined with protein and sugar derivatives, will have an astringent effect on the intestinal mucosa, slowing down gastrointestinal motility, which will cause constipation in the long run.

Myth 2: Eating only fruits and vegetables will prevent constipation?

Some people mistakenly believe that as long as they eat fruits and vegetables, they will not have constipation problems. Professor Chen Junrong from the Department of Health and Nutrition at Taipei Medical University also mentioned that to solve the problem of constipation, in addition to increasing the intake of dietary fiber, you must also pay attention to water replenishment. The right amount of water can accelerate the effect of dietary fiber in the intestines and effectively help excrete feces from the body.

As for how much water you should consume daily to meet the standard? For a normal person, the amount of water required per day is about 40 times the body weight. Taking a person weighing 50 kg as an example, he or she needs to consume at least 2000cc of water every day to effectively supply the body's needs. However, it should be noted that the milk, juice, soups and water consumed in daily diet can be included in the daily water intake requirement. However, it is still recommended that people do not wait until they feel thirsty to drink water on a daily basis, but should drink small amounts at the right time, which is the best way to drink water.

To solve the problem of constipation, in addition to increasing the intake of dietary fiber, you must also pay attention to water replenishment.

Myth 3: Is constipation during menstruation caused by hormones?

Many women may experience constipation during their menstrual period. In fact, the cause of constipation during women's menstrual period is mostly related to the effects of hormones. Before menstruation, the increase in progesterone causes the endometrium to proliferate, which in turn controls gastrointestinal motility, making constipation a common problem before and after menstruation.

The rumor on the Internet that constipation can be improved by supplementing hormones is actually not a feasible method. Random hormone supplementation may affect the normal functioning of the body and cause many side effects and sequelae. Professor Wang Jinkun suggested that if female friends are worried about constipation during menstruation, they can engage in more gentle and appropriate exercises, such as walking, rhythmic gymnastics, etc., a week before the menstrual period to increase the amount of activity to help gastrointestinal motility, and maintain a regular and good schedule to avoid constipation.

【Expert Tips】:

As for how to determine whether there is a constipation problem? Professor Chen Junrong mentioned that in clinical practice, it is generally considered normal to have 3 to 12 bowel movements per week. If the bowel movements are less than 2 times a week, or each bowel movement is difficult or too hard, it is considered constipation.

When is the most appropriate time of the day to have a bowel movement? Professor Wang Jinkun emphasized that in fact, between 10 and 20 minutes after meals, gastrointestinal motility is the fastest. When the digestive tract absorbs enough food, gastrointestinal motility can be increased, which can also increase the chance of defecation. Therefore, it is recommended that people should go to the toilet as soon as possible if they feel the urge to defecate at this time, and do not be patient, otherwise the urge will easily disappear once the opportunity is passed.