Does taking laxatives hurt your memory? It seems so. At least according to a work published in the magazine Neurology from which it emerged that a Heavy use of constipation medications is linked to a 50% increased risk of developing dementia. Plus the study of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Guangdong revealed that purges that work by osmosis (that is, absorbing water in the intestines) were associated with an even higher risk.
Laxatives and dementia
For the study authors though it cannot be said that laxatives always cause dementia however it is undeniable that their regular use can change the gut microbiome, possibly affecting nerve signaling from the gut to the brain (via the vagus nerve) or increasing prproduction of intestinal toxins that can affect the brain”.
How to replace them?
By consuming several portions of fruit and vegetables every day, whole grains, vegetable sources of protein naturally rich in fiber. And then by drinking more water, at least 1.5-2 liters a day: the lack dries up the feces, making it more complex to expel. Lack of exercise can also cause your bowels to function poorly for this reason it is always good to combine sport with a healthy diet.
Study of half a million individuals
“Constipation and laxative use are common among middle-aged and older adults”notes the lead author Feng Sha, of the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology at the Academy. Our research, she says, “found that theRegular use of over-the-counter laxatives is associated with a higher risk of dementiaparticularly in people using multiple types of laxatives or osmotic laxatives, which are not recommended for regular use anyway.” The study involved 502,229 people in the UK Biobank database, with a mean age of 57 years. Of this group, 18,235 people, or 3.6 percent, reported using over-the-counter laxatives regularly. Regular use meant the use of a laxative on most days of the week in the month preceding the study.
The results
Over an average of 10 years, 218 of people who used laxatives regularly, or 1.3%, developed dementia. Among those who did not use laxatives regularly, 1,969 people, or 0.4%, developed dementia. This means that people who used laxatives regularly had a 51% higher risk of overall dementia compared to those who did not use it regularly. The risk of dementia also increased with the number of different laxatives used. For people who used only one type of laxative, the risk increased by 28%, while it increased by 90% for people who took two or more types of laxative. Among people who use only one type of laxative, those who take Osmotic laxatives have a higher risk, with a 64% increase compared to those who do not use them.