Yogurts Effect on Constipation

Yogurt Helps Get Rid of Constipation

Most reporters of constipation may not qualify as being constipated. The myth that one must excrete waste everyday leads to the confusion that one who lacks bowel excretion everyday is constipated. However, constipation only becomes a problem when a person releases waste less than four times a week ("Constipation"). One of the leading reports of medical problems in the US is constipation, which ranges second after the common cold. About 15 million to 20 million women report this problem but experts say that there are more people out there who are fearful to come out with their 'restroom problems' (Graves, Ginny). Constipation also varies within gender and is twice, or even three times, more likely to occur in women than men, and more likely to occur in the older aged people. The word constipation describes the difficult path which small, hard, and dry stool travel through the intestines.

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People who are constipated would experience difficulty in excreting waste, and when this does occur, the process may be long and painful. On the other hand, the stool may just be hard or irregular shaped and therefore harder to excrete. One of the feelings of constipation is the feeling of being bloated, uncomfortable or sluggish ("Constipation"). To get rid of this feeling and constipation, an intake of lactic acid and a certain bacteria found in yogurt, is said to be helpful. Therefore the bacteria in yogurt may be helpful in relieving and preventing temporary constipation.

The bacterium which is found in yogurt is beneficial to health. Yogurt is a dairy product which comes from milk; it contains the bacteria Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Streptococcus thermophilus. It can be made by the heating of milk, addition of the bacteria and then after cooling, the bacteria...