Easing constipation: A 20-minute walk can get your gut moving almost immediately — SkimNews
Get the Health newsletter
Daily health & science — research, biotech, public health, the studies worth knowing. Free.
- Researchers found that 20 minutes of comfortable walking rapidly stimulated the gut, increasing intestinal movement shortly after exercise ended.
- Bowel sounds became stronger, more frequent, and lasted longer within one to two minutes after participants finished walking.
- The gut-movement boost was brief, fading within a few minutes, limiting how long the relief from constipation symptoms might last.
- The study suggests a low-effort, short-duration activity can trigger an almost immediate digestive response, offering a non-pharmacological option for people seeking constipation relief.
Why it matters: Roughly 16% of adults worldwide experience chronic constipation, and current treatments often rely on laxatives with diminishing effectiveness. A free, side-effect-free option like a 20-minute walk — producing measurable gut response within 1–2 minutes — could shift first-line advice toward exercise before medication, though the brief duration of the effect (fading within minutes) limits its standalone utility.
Ask SkimNews
