Frequent small bowel movements in adults

What is the normal frequency of bowel movements?

The frequency and consistency of bowel movements can be important indicators of a person's health ().
However, health experts do not indicate a normal or healthy number of bowel movements in a given period of time.

The general standard is that most people have one to three bowel movements per day. However, research shows that three bowel movements per week is still healthy (,).

Fewer than three bowel movements per week may indicate constipation, especially if the stool is hard and difficult to pass ().

Conversely, three or more watery bowel movements per day may mean that a person has diarrhea (diarrhea) ().

These are general standards that do not apply to everyone. It is important that people consider what is typical for them and take action if they notice any significant or persistent changes in their bowel habits.

Preventive actions

In order for the process of formation of feces to occur without disturbances, people should adhere to the following recommendations:

1. It is necessary to lead an active lifestyle.
2. People should eat regularly.
3. The daily diet must be properly balanced. It is necessary to exclude from it dishes that contain dyes, trans fats and other harmful additives.
4. People should consume enough fluids.
5. If primary symptoms appear, indicating the development of intestinal, gastric and other pathologies, you should immediately undergo an examination and take medications prescribed by specialists.

Causes of frequent bowel movements

Research shows that frequent bowel movements can be caused by a variety of factors ():

• Infections of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) . Infections, which can be caused by viruses, bacteria or parasites, can often cause short-term bowel problems. One study found that many children with frequent bowel movements without diarrhea were caused by non-polio enterovirus (NPEV) ().
• Food allergy . This condition causes the immune system to overreact to certain foods, mistakenly believing them to be pathogens. About 3–4% of adults in Western countries have food allergies, which can be serious if they affect a person's ability to breathe ().
• Caffeine . The International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders states that due to the laxative effect of caffeine, more than two or three cups of coffee or tea per day can cause diarrhea ().
• Celiac disease . This disease affects approximately 1 in 100 people worldwide. People with celiac disease experience an autoimmune reaction when they eat wheat, barley, or rye. This reaction can affect a person's bowel movements and damage their small intestine ().
• Lactose intolerance . This condition affects up to 70% of the world's population. People with this condition cannot consume dairy products without intestinal problems ().
• Physical exercise . Physical activity is generally healthy, but some people, such as long-distance runners, may notice strong urges to have a bowel movement during exercise. Some may even experience diarrhea. Experts suggest that this effect is due to a decrease in blood flow in the colon ().
• Gallbladder problems . Conditions such as Hubb syndrome indicate a link between poor gallbladder function and frequent bowel movements ().
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) . Irritable bowel syndrome is the most common form of functional diarrhea and can also cause constipation. Some people with IBS may experience both symptoms ().
• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) . Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are two forms of this autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract and can lead to long-term damage ().
• Medicines . Many medications can cause digestive problems, including aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antibiotics, and blood pressure medications.
• Cancer . Changes in bowel behavior may be a sign of colon cancer, especially if they occur along with other symptoms such as anemia, unintentional weight loss, fatigue, blood in the stool, and bleeding from the anus ().

An adult’s stool has changed, what to do?

Most often, people contact their primary care doctor with questions about changes in their bowel movements. These include medical workers: therapists and pediatricians. Depending on the cause of the change in stool, the participation and assistance of certain specialists may be required.

For example, if the stool is red or black due to bleeding, a gastroenterologist and surgeon are needed to perform an endoscopy to look for the source of the bleeding in the stomach or intestines. These specialists help manage other intestinal tract diseases, including Crohn's disease, pancreatitis and celiac disease, which cause discoloration due to poor absorption of nutrients from the diet.

The patient and doctor need to consider other symptoms, past medical history, dietary changes, and medications to decide what is causing the change in stool color. Physical examination will be important in determining the significance of these types of symptoms. Feces may be examined for blood, fat, or infection. Blood tests are needed depending on the clinical situation (color changes may require evaluation of the pancreas, liver, or gastrointestinal tract).

Sources

https://parazithelp.ru/parazity/izmenenie-stula-u-vzroslogo.html#i

https://yandex.by/turbo/blog.mednote.life/s/articles/bolezn-gryaznykh-ruk-priznaki-dizenerii-u-detey

https://foodandhealth.ru/simptomy/izmenenie-cveta-stula/

What does the color of stool tell you?

https://foodandhealth.ru/simptomy/izmenenie-cveta-stula/

Treatment of frequent bowel movements

Frequent bowel movements without diarrhea often respond well to treatment, such as using over-the-counter medications to relieve symptoms.

Here are recommendations for treating IBS, a common cause of frequent bowel movements ():

• adjusting your diet to support healthy digestion
• regular physical activity
• taking steps to control stress, such as practicing meditation or yoga
• treating symptoms of constipation, diarrhea, or abdominal pain with over-the-counter or prescription medications such as loperamide, laxatives, or antispasmodics

Causes of mushy stool

In children of the first year of life, soft, unformed yellow stools are a variant of the norm, which is due to monotonous feeding with breast milk or formula, and restructuring of the digestive system due to increasing food loads. In infants up to 3-4 months, mushy feces are excreted after each feeding, then the feces become more formed, stools are reduced to 4-5, and then less times per day.

Abundant, mushy feces periodically occur in people who follow a strict plant-based diet with limited bread and cereals. Vegetables contain a large amount of fiber, so they help increase the volume of stool and change its consistency. Bowel movements usually occur once a day. If loose stools, nausea, or abdominal pain appear as part of your usual diet, you should visit a doctor.

The normal functioning of the digestive organs is inextricably linked with the stable functioning of the central and peripheral nervous systems, therefore, during stress or other psychogenic shocks, mushy feces are often formed. The symptom can be caused by various reasons: an upcoming interview at work, delivery of an important project, a quarrel with a loved one. A change in stool is preceded by rumbling and discomfort in the abdomen.

Pasty bowel movements in the morning, 30-40 minutes after waking up, are typical for IBS. Stool is preceded by intestinal spasms, stomach rumbling, and a painful urge to defecate. After visiting the toilet, all symptoms disappear, and during the day a person can feel absolutely healthy. If pasty stool is passed for a long time and is not associated with the time of day, this indicates the addition of a chronic gastrointestinal pathology.

Allergens that penetrate the digestive tract irritate the intestinal mucosa and increase the secretion of water into the intestinal lumen. In this case, the feces soften and are released in the form of a heterogeneous paste, sometimes with a foul odor. Defecation occurs 2-3 hours after eating the allergen product and is accompanied by heaviness in the stomach and severe nausea. Sometimes food allergies cause massive diarrhea with loose, watery stool, which requires medical attention.

Disruption of the normal microflora of the large intestine with colonization by pathogenic organisms is caused by various reasons: all acute infections of any location, severe somatic diseases. With dysbiosis in the intestine, the processes of bacterial putrefaction and decomposition predominate, which is clinically manifested by mushy, foul-smelling stool, on the surface of which a greenish-gray coating can be seen.

The frequency of defecation ranges from 4-5 times per day; a meager amount of unformed feces is released at a time. The passage of bowel movements is preceded by intense cramping pain in the lower abdomen, rumbling, and tenesmus. The condition improves by following a strict diet (slimy porridges and soups, stewed vegetables). When adding hard-to-digest foods to the diet, mushy stools become more frequent up to 10 times a day, and pain in the abdomen intensifies.

The most typical appearance of mushy feces is due to a deficiency of vitamin PP (nicotinic acid). This symptom mainly occurs in people who follow strict diets with limited animal foods and grains; with a normal, nutritious diet, vitamin deficiency almost never occurs. Patients note increased frequency of stools and impaired digestion of food, as a result of which food residues and mucus are visible in liquid stool.

The symptom is also observed with a lack of other vitamins, most often in early spring. The stool passes in the form of a pulp periodically, the frequency of bowel movements remains normal or increases slightly. In addition to changes in the consistency of stool, abdominal cramps, nausea after eating, and flatulence are also disturbing. Severe hypovitaminosis C is characterized by copious watery stools with mucus, in which streaks of blood are sometimes visible. The symptom is accompanied by bleeding from the gums and nose.

Bacterial and viral infections are common causes of mushy stool in people of any age. Most often, dyspeptic disorders occur within 8-12 hours after consuming a suspicious product. A person experiences severe nausea and vomiting, the urge to defecate, which ends in the release of watery, heterogeneous feces with pieces of undigested food. The stool may change color to greenish-yellow.

In case of poisoning with specific pathogens (salmonella, shigella), a prodromal period is observed during the first 24 hours; stools are more often formed, but have a softer consistency. On the second day, intense pain develops in the navel area or in the left abdomen, which is accompanied by frequent bowel movements. The stool becomes liquid, acquires a foul odor and a greenish tint. The main infectious causes of mushy stool:

• Bacterial diseases: salmonellosis, escherichiosis, food poisoning, dysentery.
• Viral infections: rotavirus gastroenteritis, enterovirus infection.
• Protozoal infestations: amoebiasis, giardiasis.

Feces that look like mush are more typical of hypoacid gastritis, but can also form with increased acidity of gastric juice. Pasty feces are often caused by heavy meals, diet disorders, and stress. Unformed stool also indicates an exacerbation of a chronic process. In this case, it is combined with dull arching pain in the epigastric region, nausea and rotten belching.

Hyperacid gastritis is characterized by frequent bowel movements with the release of small amounts of soft or liquid feces. Defecation is preceded by sharp spasms in the epigastrium and umbilical region, vomiting. The symptom is not constant. Its development is facilitated by skipping doses of hypoacid medications and abuse of heavy fatty foods. The passage of unformed black feces is an alarming symptom that requires emergency care.

If there is insufficient amount of bile in the duodenum, fats are not broken down and are excreted in the form of large drops with feces. Acute cholecystitis is characterized by lightening and softening of stool: during defecation, a grayish-white pulp with a pungent odor is released. In a chronic process, the stool is of normal color, resembles soft lumps or layers, but not liquid. Defecation disorder is accompanied by pain in the right hypochondrium, nausea, and bitterness in the mouth.

When to see a doctor

Experts recommend consulting a doctor if diarrhea lasts more than 2 days ().

Frequent bowel movements without diarrhea do not pose the same risk of dehydration as diarrhea. However, a person who frequently has hard stools should see a doctor if they:

• has an elevated body temperature
• has blood in the stool
• vomiting or feeling nauseous
• experiencing painful abdominal cramps
• cannot control bowel movements

Treatment prognosis and consequences

As a rule, in the presence of pasty stools that are not burdened by additional symptoms, the prognosis is good. With timely diagnosis and treatment, recovery occurs fairly quickly. One of the most dangerous consequences is severe pathologies of the pancreas, in which self-digestion of the organ can occur and the production of enzymes will completely stop. In addition, advanced gastroduodenitis and liver diseases are fraught with the appearance of ulcerative lesions.

With constant mushy stool, a large amount of fluid is lost, which can ultimately lead to dehydration. This symptom cannot be ignored.

Prevention

A healthy lifestyle can sometimes help people avoid frequent bowel movements. Here are dietary practices that may be especially helpful:

• gradually introducing high-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains into the diet
• Limiting your intake of gluten and gluten-containing products
• Seeking advice from your doctor about supplementing your diet with probiotics to increase the number of beneficial bacteria in your gut

Here are other methods that can help maintain a healthy bowel movement frequency:

• regular exercise
• good sleep
• managing stress through relaxation techniques, mindfulness and biofeedback
• mental health techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and gut-focused hypnotherapy

Nutrition rules

To normalize the consistency of stool, patients must adhere to a special diet. First of all, they need to limit the amount of plant food in their diet, as it speeds up peristalsis.

The patient’s menu should contain the following products:

1. Bakery and pasta products.
2. Cereals in the form of porridges, for example, rice, buckwheat.
3. Cookie.
4. Potato.
5. Persimmons, bananas.

Summarize

The main thing to consider when experiencing frequent bowel movements without diarrhea is whether it is something the person is used to or whether it is something new that the person has not experienced before.

In most cases, changes in bowel habits are short-term reactions to a certain food, a virus, or excess coffee consumption, and the person can correct the problem on their own.

A healthy lifestyle, eating a balanced diet and managing stress can help keep your bowel movements regular.

Diet for loose stools

Proper nutrition will help quickly improve the functioning of the stomach. Strict adherence to the doctor’s recommendations regarding diet will shorten the treatment period.

• Eating low-fat foods;
• Lenten broth;
• Rusks, crackers;
• Porridge with water (oatmeal, rice porridge);
• Boiled potatoes;
• Vegetables cooked in a steam bath;
• Bananas.

If you have loose stools, you should refrain from alcoholic beverages, coffee, dairy products, fatty and spicy foods, baked goods, carbonated water, and fruit juices.

What is defecation

Due to anatomical features, the human body gets rid of processed food through the anus. In medicine, this phenomenon is called the act of defecation.

In a healthy body, this process is carried out once a day. How often you go to the toilet affects stool consistency . The less often a person empties the rectum, the harder the stool.

The process of waste elimination is controlled by the central nervous system. When feces move from the sigmoid region into the ampulla of the rectum, a person feels the urge to empty it. He can control this process starting from 1.5 years.