Dinesh Deepika, Lee Jong Soo, Scott Tammy M, Tucker Katherine L, Palacios Natalia
Center for Population Health, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA.
Department of Public Health, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA.
J Aging Res. 2025 Jul 24;2025:2674457. doi: 10.1155/jare/2674457. eCollection 2025.
Bowel dysfunction and habitual laxative use are indicators of poor gastrointestinal (GI) health and are inversely associated with cognitive function. These associations are understudied in Latino and Hispanic populations. Therefore, we examined the associations between bowel frequency, stool type, laxative use, and cognitive function in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study (BPRHS). The BPRHS is a prospective cohort that enrolled 1502 Puerto Rican adults residing in the Boston Area, aged 45-75 years at baseline, with four waves of collection across 13 years. Cognitive function was measured using a composite global cognitive score (GCS) with low scores indicating worse cognitive function. Bowel health at Wave 4 was assessed by self-reported bowel frequency (times/day) and stool type. Self-reported laxative use (yes/no) was assessed at baseline and Wave 4. Adjusting for relevant covariates, we examined cross-sectional association between bowel frequency, stool type and GCS at Wave 4, and serial cross-sectional associations between laxative use and GCS at baseline and Wave 4. We used linear mixed models to examine time-varying laxative use and GCS over 13 years of follow-up. At Wave 4, 155 (27.1%), 235 (41.0%), and 183 (31.9%) participants self-reported normal, low, and high bowel frequency, respectively, and 334 (65.9%), 72 (14.2%), and 101(19.9%) self-reported normal, hard, and loose stool type, respectively. At Wave 4, participants with high bowel frequency had low GCS ( = -0.152, =0.02), but stool type was not associated with GCS. Self-reported laxative use increased from 6.8% (baseline) to 18.4% (Wave 4). Laxative users had low GCS at baseline ( = -0.13, =0.01) and Wave 4 ( = -0.13, =0.05). However, laxative use was not associated with a change in GCS over 13 years of follow-up (laxative use∗time = 0.006, =0.28). Low or high bowel frequency and laxative use may be inversely associated with cognitive function. Our results suggest a relationship between bowel and cognitive health. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01231958.
肠道功能障碍和习惯性使用泻药是胃肠道（GI）健康状况不佳的指标，并且与认知功能呈负相关。在拉丁裔和西班牙裔人群中，这些关联尚未得到充分研究。因此，我们在波士顿波多黎各健康研究（BPRHS）中研究了排便频率、粪便类型、泻药使用与认知功能之间的关联。BPRHS是一项前瞻性队列研究，招募了1502名居住在波士顿地区的波多黎各成年人，基线年龄为45 - 75岁，在13年中进行了四轮数据收集。认知功能通过综合全球认知评分（GCS）进行测量，分数越低表明认知功能越差。在第四轮时，通过自我报告的排便频率（次/天）和粪便类型评估肠道健康。在基线和第四轮时评估自我报告的泻药使用情况（是/否）。在调整相关协变量后，我们研究了第四轮时排便频率、粪便类型与GCS之间的横断面关联，以及基线和第四轮时泻药使用与GCS之间的系列横断面关联。我们使用线性混合模型来研究13年随访期间随时间变化的泻药使用情况和GCS。在第四轮时，分别有155名（27.1%）、235名（41.0%）和183名（31.9%）参与者自我报告排便频率正常、较低和较高，分别有334名（65.9%）、72名（14.2%）和101名（19.9%）自我报告粪便类型正常、坚硬和松散。在第四轮时，排便频率较高的参与者GCS较低（β = -0.152，P = 0.02），但粪便类型与GCS无关。自我报告的泻药使用从基线时的6.8%增加到第四轮时的18.4%。泻药使用者在基线时（β = -0.13，P = 0.01）和第四轮时（β = -0.13，P = 0.05）GCS较低。然而，在13年的随访中，泻药使用与GCS的变化无关（泻药使用*时间β = 0.006，P = 0.28）。排便频率低或高以及泻药使用可能与认知功能呈负相关。我们的结果表明肠道健康与认知健康之间存在关联。ClinicalTrials.gov标识符：NCT01231958。
