An NHS doctor has urged people to try chewing on a common 6p sweet to quickly relieve constipation and ease bloating. Constipation can be an uncomfortable and sometimes even painful experience.
Not only does it mean you are unable to open your bowels as frequently as usual, resulting in straining on the toilet, it can also leave you feeling bloated and sick over time. It can have a number of causes such as your diet, not exercising enough, certain medications, and not drinking enough.
While addressing these issues should help to solve the problem, sometimes you need an extra lift to help get things moving. With this in mind, an expert recommended a common sweet that could speed the process up.
Constipation can be caused by a poor diet, lack of exercise, not drinking enough water, and medication among other issues
(
Image:
Getty)
Doctor Karan Rajan, who is best known online as Dr Raj, revealed that chewing gum can help treat constipation. In response to another creator’s video about the confectionary helping her go to the toilet after a C-section, he explained more.
Speaking to his more than five million followers on social media platform TikTok, he said: “If you’ve had any abdominal or gynaecological surgery, or you’re just disgustingly constipated, then chewing gum could help you in your quest to churn out fresh colon sausage. Sometimes after surgery or if you’ve been in hospital for a really long time your intestines go on strike, leaving you bloated and constipated.
“This is known as a paralytic ileus. The reason chewing gum can get your gut back on track is because the chewing gum tricks your body into thinking it’s eating.
“It triggers the gastrocolic reflex where a bunch of gut hormones are released and the vagus nerve is stimulated. This results in more stomach and intestinal contractions and more movements.”
The constipation-relieving properties of gum can be even greater in sugar-free versions, according to Dr Raj. He continued: “For an even better outcome try sugar-free gum.
“This usually contains a common artificial sweetener like sorbitol, which works as an osmotic laxative. It draws water into the large intestine and increases gut motility.”
Constipation can cause painful bloating
(
Image:
Getty)
Sugar-free gum can currently be bought from Tesco for £3 for a pack of 50 pieces, working out at 6p each.
On top of this you could also try drinking black coffee. “Not only does the combination of polyphenols, fibre, and caffeine have a prokinetic effect and shorten intestinal transit time, just the smell of a strong brew activates that cephalo vagal reflex. This glitch means just the sight or smell of food causes the release of digestive juices and hormones.”
Find out about the symptoms you need to watch out for and get health advice with our free health newsletter from the Mirror
The NHS says you should see your GP if you:
- Are constipated and it’s not getting better with treatment
- Are regularly constipated
- Are regularly bloated
- Have blood in your poo
- Have lost weight without trying
- Are constipated and feel tired all the time
- Are taking medicine that’s causing constipation – such as opioid painkillers
- Notice sudden changes in the how you poo (your bowel habits)
- Have tummy pain
The health body warns: “Speak to the GP before you stop taking any prescribed medicine.”