Abstract
Previous studies from case–control studies failed to draw reliable conclusions regarding the relationship between bowel movement frequency and the risk of colorectal cancer. To further examine this relationship, we collect the data from cohort studies that make a more accurate estimation. Several online data were searched from inception to February 29, 2020. Ten cohort studies involving 1,038,598 individuals were included in our study. The pooled results indicated that a bowel movement of less than once per day was not associated with the risk of colorectal cancer (relative risk (RR)= 1.00, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.87–1.16, P = 0.950) compared with that of once per day. Compared with a bowel movement frequency of once per day, a bowel movement of more than once per day was also not related to elevated risk of colorectal cancer (RR = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.91–1.19, P = 0.570). The subgroup analyses indicated a low or high bowel movement frequency did not increase the risk of colon cancer (RR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.80–1.03, P = 0.130). However, an increased frequency of bowel movements increased the risk of rectal cancer (RR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.19–1.52, P < 0.001). The sensitivity analysis still supports the results. No significant publication bias existed. The data from cohort indicated that less bowel movement frequency was not associated with the risk of colorectal cancer. The frequency of bowel movement affects the risk of rectal cancer.
Highlights
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers regardless of males and females [1]
Using a random effect model, we found that a bowel movement frequency of more than once per day was not associated with colorectal cancer occurrence compared with a frequency of once per day (RR = 1.03, 95% confidence internal (CI): 0.88–1.20, P = 0.740, Figure 3A)
The present meta-analysis comprehensively and systematically reviewed the data from cohort studies and found the following: (1) Overall, the unadjusted and adjusted pooled results indicated that a bowel movement frequency of
Summary
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers regardless of males and females [1]. Bowel movement frequency and fecal characteristics are indicators of intestinal health and can reflect the status of intestinal flora to some extent [10]. Low or high bowel movement frequencies may be associated with colon cancer risk [11,12]. A previous meta-analysis based on nine case–control studies suggested that infrequent bowel movements or constipation significantly were associated with the risk of colorectal cancer. The most recent meta-analysis of case–control studies (in 2013) indicated that constipation was significantly associated with colorectal cancer. Several new cohort studies have reported the association between bowel movement frequency and colorectal cancer, but these data have yielded inconsistent results [14,15]
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