Why Pooping Daily Matters for Your Cholesterol Levels

Let’s talk about something that doesn’t get nearly enough attention: your daily bowel movements. While it might not be glamorous, your bowel habits are a direct window into your digestive and hormonal health. Many people assume it’s normal to go every few days or rely on caffeine or laxatives to get things moving. It’s not. 

Having regular bowel movements is a vital part of how your body detoxifies, regulates hormones, and even balances cholesterol levels. Ideally, you should be having at least one full, easy-to-pass bowel movement every day.

Your Body’s Daily Detox Pathways

Your liver works hard to process waste products, environmental toxins, and excess hormones like estrogen. After your liver filters these compounds, it sends them into your intestines to be eliminated from the body through your poop. 

If you aren’t eliminating this waste daily, these compounds can hang around longer than they should, and even be reabsorbed into your bloodstream. This backup is a significant driver of inflammation, increased toxic burden on the liver, hormone imbalances, and even elevated cholesterol levels. 

What Happens When You Don’t Go Daily?

Irregular or incomplete elimination is often associated with GI symptoms such as bloating, gas, or cramping. It can also open the door to gut dysbiosis, or imbalances in the gut microbiome, as well as conditions such as SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth). That being said, not going to the bathroom daily and impaired detoxification pathways can also lead to a number of symptoms that might not seem connected at first glance. 

Other symptoms of impaired detoxification can include skin breakouts and acne, mood swings, and worsening PMS, fibroid, and PCOS symptoms. It may also result in brain fog, fatigue, and sluggish thyroid function given the downstream effects of inflammation and oxidative stress. 

The implications of impaired detoxification systems also directly impact liver function. The liver is responsible for producing and regulating cholesterol and bile. When liver function is impaired, this often results in decreased bile production, resulting in poor fat digestion and a buildup of cholesterol. This also inhibits thyroid hormone activation, further slowing down our digestion and metabolism. And thus the vicious cycle of an overburdened liver and irregular bowel movements continues.

So… What Does a Healthy Poop Look Like?

• Frequency: 1–2 complete bowel movements per day
• Consistency: Soft but well-formed, and easy to pass
• Other signs: No straining, no excessive urgency, and a feeling of full evacuation (like you got everything out of your system)

Simple Tips to Support Daily Elimination

• Hydration: Aim for half your body weight in ounces of water daily
• Fiber: Include a diverse array of veggies (including leafy greens), seeds (flax seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc.), beans, and legumes
• Movement: Daily walks and movement throughout the day help keep things flowing
• Supplements: Magnesium citrate or digestive bitters can be helpful for some

If you’re doing all of these things and still struggling with constipation, it’s time to dig deeper. Not pooping daily, especially accompanied by high cholesterol levels and symptoms of impaired liver detoxification, can point to underlying issues in the liver, gut, and thyroid gland. Be sure to watch our YouTube video for a deeper dive into natural strategies to restore healthy elimination.

Written by Romana Brennan, MS, RDN