The Science of Healthy Poop (And How to Improve It)
By Adebowale Bello. B.Tech Microbiology. DLHA Fellow. Medically reviewed by the DLHA Team.
July 8, 2026.
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A black man sitting on a WC in the toilet and straining to stool. Image credit: Magnific. Click on image to enlarge.
Most people do not like talking about poop because it is often considered an embarrassing topic, something that should remain private and rarely discussed. However, bowel movements are one of the ways your body removes waste and they can provide important clues about what is happening inside you.
Many people think constipation is simply a result of not eating enough fibre or drinking enough water. While diet and hydration are important, the process of passing stool is much more complex and healthy bowel movements depend on several systems in your body working together properly.
Related: 10 benefits of drinking water
A gastroenterologist, Dr Trisha Pasricha from Harvard Medical School, recently highlighted this idea through what she describes as the “three Ps” of healthy stool (pooping): propulsion, pliability and pelvic floor function. This simple framework helps explain why some people struggle with constipation even when they are eating healthy foods and drinking enough fluids. It also highlights why paying attention to bowel habits is an important part of maintaining overall health.
The discussion around the three Ps is based on decades of research into how the digestive system works. Scientists have found that bowel movements are controlled by a combination of gut movement, stool consistency and the muscles involved in passing waste.
The digestive tract is not just a tube that carries food from the mouth to the toilet. It is a complex system containing muscles, nerves and chemical signals that coordinate digestion and waste removal. When everything works properly, food waste moves through the intestines, water is balanced within the stool and the muscles around the rectum relax at the right time to allow easy passage.
If any part of this process is disrupted, problems can occur. Some people may have slow movement of stool through the intestines while others may produce hard, dry stool that is difficult to pass. In addition, some may have problems with the muscles responsible for releasing stool. Understanding these different causes is important because constipation is not always caused by the same problem in every person.
The three factors that influence healthy bowel movements
After the body absorbs nutrients from food, the remaining waste travels through the colon or large bowel before leaving the body. This movement happens through coordinated contractions of the intestinal muscles.
When this process becomes slower than normal, stool spends more time inside the colon and the longer stool remains there, the more water the body absorbs from it, which can make it harder and more difficult to pass.
Several factors can affect gut movement, including:
This explains why simply adding more fibre may not solve constipation for everyone. If the gut is not moving waste effectively, other approaches may be needed.
A healthy stool should be soft enough to pass comfortably but firm enough to maintain its shape. When stool becomes too dry or hard, passing it may require excessive pushing, which can lead to discomfort and problems such as haemorrhoids.
Hydration gives the body enough fluid to maintain normal stool consistency while fibre plays an important role because it helps add bulk to stool and allows it to hold more water. Foods such as vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains and other plant-based foods can support healthier stool consistency. However, increasing fibre consumption suddenly can cause bloating and gas, hence a gradual increase allows the digestive system to adjust.
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that support organs in the lower part of the abdomen. These muscles also play an important role in controlling bowel movements. For stool to leave the body smoothly, the pelvic floor muscles need to relax at the right time. If these muscles remain tight when someone tries to pass stool, it can create difficulty even when the stool itself is soft.
This type of constipation is often overlooked because many people assume difficulty passing stool is only related to diet. Simple habits such as improving toilet posture by raising the knees slightly above hip level may help some people by placing the body in a position that makes passing stool easier.
Although much of the discussion around bowel health comes from research conducted in Western countries, the lessons remain relevant as digestive health challenges are common across Africa, and many people experience constipation, bloating or changes in bowel habits.
Many traditional African diets already contain foods that support healthy digestion, including beans, vegetables, fruits, whole grains and tubers. However, changes in lifestyle, including increased consumption of highly processed foods and reduced physical activity, may affect bowel health.
Urbanisation has changed eating patterns in many African communities as more people now consume packaged foods that are often lower in fibre compared with traditional meals.
The insights into the science of healthy pooping highlight the importance of paying attention to changes in bowel habits.
Seek prompt medical attention if have any of the following:
Maintaining healthy bowel movements does not require complicated solutions. Here are some everyday habits that can support your digestive health:
These habits help to support your digestive system and may reduce the risk of common bowel problems.
Your stool or poop may not be a comfortable topic to discuss, but it provides valuable information about your health. Healthy bowel movements depend on more than just eating fibre. They involve the coordinated work of the gut muscles, stool consistency and the pelvic floor muscles.
The three Ps of passing stool (pooping), i.e. propulsion, pliability and pelvic floor function, provide a simple way to understand why constipation happens and why different people may need different solutions. A healthy gut is supported by balanced nutrition, regular movement and awareness of changes in bowel habits and by paying attention to your digestive health, you can protect your overall health.
Source: Rogers K. The 3 Ps of pooping and how to optimize them, according to a Harvard doc. [Internet]. CNN. 2026, April 7. [Cited July 7, 2026]. Available from here.
Related: Constipation: Symptoms, Common causes, Treatment and Prevention
Published: July 15, 2026.
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