It has been an ongoing debate on whether smoking can make you poop. Many smokers can attest that they poop better after or while smoking. Do smoking cigarettes really make you poop? Or is it all in the person’s mind? After reading this post, you will know the answer to the question: Can smoking really make you poop?
Table of Contents
What Does Nicotine Do To The Body?
To come up with an answer to this dreaded question, we first need to understand what nicotine does to the human body. As everybody knows, nicotine is a harmful and very addictive chemical found in cigarettes.
Don’t even get me started on its short-term and long-term harmful effects to the body, from decreased appetite to increased blood pressure to be the number one cause of lung ailments. Also, cigarettes have detrimental effects on pregnant women and their unborn angels. The National Library of Medicine classifies nicotine as both a stimulant and sedative.
Do Cigarettes Have Laxative Effects?
First of all, you should know what laxatives are. Laxatives are substances that can help a person empty their bowels. Laxatives are usually recommended to relieve constipation because it causes muscle reactions to pass stool along.
Many people assume that nicotine-containing products such as cigarettes are laxatives. This statement lacks evidence, and the story behind this is more complicated. Some people claim that cigarettes are laxatives, but they really aren’t.
There is confusion about this issue because many people claim that smoking makes them poop. As nicotine is a stimulant, it stimulates the stomach and intestines, but it does not stimulate the gastrointestinal tract. But to be clear, a cigarette is not a laxative. Because a laxative is defined to relieve constipation, and nicotine cannot do that.
Many smokers drink coffee while smoking in the morning, attesting that this is the perfect combination to poop. Studies show that coffee, being a natural stimulant, can stimulate the urge to poop. Both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee are mild laxatives.
That’s the confusion of some smokers. It is the coffee causing the laxative effect, not the cigarette. But who can blame them? A cup of coffee is always perfectly paired with a cigarette.
What Does Research Say?
So what do research and academic studies say of the relationship between smoking and pooping? The answer is UNESTABLISHED. Studies were conducted, but as of the moment, further research is needed.
A study was conducted to find out stimulation of defecation if nicotine induces bowel movements. Eight non-smokers were given 2mg of nicotine, and some were given the placebo. The rectal tone or bowel motility was measured for 1 hour.
There was no significant change of bowel activities in both participants given the 2mg of nicotine and are on placebo. Basically, the study published that nicotine does not affect defecation.
Do Smoking Cigarettes Affect The Digestive Tract?
It’s a given fact that smoking affects the entire body, including the digestive system. This does not say that smoking makes a person poop. However, smoking cigarettes are proven to have adverse effects on the digestive organs especially the colon. This may also explain why smokers can feel that pooping sensation after huffing and puffing that cigarette.
To all smokers, read up, and think twice before lighting up that cigarette. Here’s how smoking affects the gastrointestinal system.
- Crohn’s Disease: This is a type of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) where there is long-term inflammation of the digestive tract. This may lead to symptoms like diarrhea, abdominal cramps, malnutrition, and abnormal weight loss. Many long-time smokers feel the urge to poop after smoking because they may have a case of undiagnosed Crohn’s Disease.
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): Long-term smoking can weaken the muscles of the esophagus. This may result in the acid in the stomach leaking and may reflux (or come back up) to the throat and lead to heartburn.
- Peptic Ulcers: Long-time smokers may form sores in their stomach lining or intestines. Smoking is the number one culprit for the development of ulcers. Plus, when a person with an ulcer continues to smoke, the healing is least likely to occur.
- Gallstones: Gallstones are the formation of cholesterol and calcium deposits in the gallbladder. The formation of gallstones can lead to inflammation of the pancreas and may disrupt the normal digestion physiology. The gallbladder directly affects digestion and bowel movements, and gallstones can frequently cause diarrhea. Smokers who are unaware they have gallstones may feel the urge to poop after eating, claiming that the cigarette is responsible for this sensation. But the truth is, their long-term smoking caused gallstones to form and caused the poop sensation.
- Cancer: This does not come in shock; smoking is linked to causing different types of cancer. The most common cancer caused by smoking is cancer of the lungs, rectum, stomach, pancreas, esophagus, mouth, and throat. Did you notice something? Most of the cancers caused by smoking involve organs of the digestive system.
- Other digestive diseases: Pancreatitis, liver disease, and colon polyps. In addition, the latest news, according to the World Health Organization, states that smokers are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19.
FrequentlyAsked Questions
Does Smoking Cause Loose Stools?
The answer is: Yes, smoking may cause loose stools. In most cases, where there are existing undiagnosed health problems like Crohn’s disease, gallstones, or pancreatitis. However, there is not enough evidence found to support if a healthy person who smokes can have loose stools.
How Does Smoking Affect Your Bowel Movement?
There is not enough study conducted to prove if smoking can affect bowel movement. Many people say that smoking affects their bowel movements, but the medical community does not agree with this statement.
Can Nicotine Affect Poop?
Yes, nicotine can affect the poop. How? When a person develops digestive disorders, as mentioned above, it can quickly cause diarrhea and might change the color and consistency of the poop.
Is Nicotine Good For Constipation?
No, nicotine is not good for constipation. Many clinical studies can attest that nicotine is not good for constipation. Since nicotine is not a laxative, it cannot help with constipation.
Does Quitting Smoking Affect Bowel Movements?
Yes, quitting smoking may affect bowel movements. Why? Part of nicotine withdrawal symptoms is constipation. The symptom will gradually disappear after 1-2 months of quitting.
A Friendly Advice
For all the smokers out there thinking that a cigarette stimulates their bowels, this is not true. So the next time you’re thinking of lighting up that cigarette in the morning to poop, think again. If you want to have a better bowel movement, do it the right way. One stick of cigarette containing 7,000+ harmful chemicals will not make you poop; that is a myth.
If you want a better bowel movement, eat foods high in fiber content like fruits and vegetables, drink a lot of water, and be active. All these tips are good for your health and are proven effective so that you can poop better. Cigarette smoke will never do you any good.
Final Thoughts
At this point, it is made clear that smoking cannot make you poop. So do not make the excuse that you can’t stop smoking because you can’t poop if you don’t light up that cigarette. You’ve been told a million times that smoking does no good. Even tobacco companies acknowledge this fact by placing warning signs in the cigarette pack.
Stop smoking as early as you can. If others can do it, and so can you. Start by gradually reducing to 5 sticks a day, to 2 sticks, then one day you’ll realize you don’t need to smoke after all. Don’t worry because many methods can help you stop smoking.
How Can I Stop Smoking?
One of the best and proven ways is through hypnosis. Thanks to the availability of mobile apps, you can now download Quit: Hypnosis to Stop Smoking and get started with turning your life around.
The Quit: Hypnosis to Stop Smoking is the best hypnosis app to quit smoking. Programs to stop smoking were formulated by Certified Hypnotherapists. All you have to do is download the app, either the Apple Store or Play Store, and listen to the hypnosis audios of Certified Hypnotherapists.
In the app, you can also track your cigarette consumption and how much money you saved when you quit smoking. Start a smoke-free life now by downloading Quit: Hypnosis to Stop Smoking.
