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  • [♪♩INTRO]

  • Everybody poops.

  • It's one of those facts of life.

  • The average person does it anywhere between three times a week and three times a day -- so

  • by the time you're an adult, you're a very experienced pooper.

  • But sometimes, even with the right diet and exercise, you need a little help with your

  • number two.

  • And that's where laxatives come in.

  • Constipation is pretty common, with anywhere between two and 30% of people experiencing

  • symptoms at any given time.

  • It can be caused by lack of exercise, many medications, or certain diets.

  • Changing your habits might solve the problem, but if not, there are a whole bunch of laxatives

  • to make your pooping experience more enjoyable.

  • The most common type are called bulk-formers, and they're basically concentrated doses

  • of dietary fiber.

  • Dietary fiber is a broad term for the parts of plants we eat, but that our bodies can't

  • digest, and you'll find it in things like whole wheat breads and vegetables.

  • There are two kinds of it: soluble fiber, which can dissolve in water and form gels,

  • and insoluble fiber, which doesn't.

  • Bulk-forming laxatives add soluble fiber to your intestines, which makes your stool full

  • of soft, squishy fiber-gel.

  • That makes them larger and heavier, while keeping them soft and easy to pass.

  • These are some of the safest laxatives to take long-term, which makes them popular.

  • But if fiber-gels aren't your style, you have some other options.

  • Another kind, osmotic laxatives, work by making the concentration of certain salts or sugars

  • higher in your intestines than outside them.

  • To equalize the concentrations and get things back to normal, water from the rest of your

  • body is pulled into your intestines.

  • And that creates a waterslide for anything inside your colon.

  • If you've ever had to hit the bathroom after eating sugar-free gummy bears, this is why.

  • They're sweetened using sugar alcohols like maltitol, which is a potent osmotic laxative.

  • There are also stimulant laxatives, which increase the number of contractions in your

  • intestinal walls by stimulating the nerves controlling them.

  • The contractions cause stool to travel faster through your digestive tract, so this kind

  • of laxative tends to act the fastest.

  • Now, most laxatives are known for helping out with constipation, but they can be helpful

  • for other things, too -- like, if you've just had surgery and shouldn't be straining

  • your muscles in the bathroom.

  • To make regular bowel movements easier to pass, there are lubricant laxatives, like

  • mineral oil, that coat your intestinal walls to make them slippery, and emollient laxatives,

  • also called stool softeners.

  • Those decrease the surface tension of fatty stools, allowing them to absorb water and

  • become soft -- like how soaps and detergents let water and oils mix when you're washing

  • your hands.

  • So no matter your poop situation, there's a laxative for you.

  • At the end of the day, a healthy diet and exercise go a long way in keeping your body

  • running smoothly.

  • But the next time you're feeling bloated and wishing for a visit from the poop fairy,

  • you have options for helping nature along.

  • Just maybe don't choose that bag of gummy bears.

  • Thanks for asking, and thanks to all of our patrons on Patreon who keep the answers coming!

  • If you'd like to submit a question, you can go to patreon.com/scishow.

  • [♪♩OUTRO]

[♪♩INTRO]

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