{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,10]],"date-time":"2026-07-10T17:20:27Z","timestamp":1783704027275,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":64,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,12]],"date-time":"2025-02-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1739318400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Med."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Chronic gastrointestinal disorders, such as chronic constipation and diarrhea, pose significant public health challenges, affecting quality of life and healthcare costs. Life\u2019s Simple 7 (LS7), established by the American Heart Association, encompasses essential health behaviors that may influence bowel health.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>We utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted between 2005 and 2010, focusing on adults aged 20\u202fyears and older. A total of 12,912 participants were included in the analysis. Bowel health was assessed through self-reported questionnaires, while LS7 was evaluated based on seven components: smoking status, physical activity, dietary quality, BMI, blood pressure, blood glucose, and blood cholesterol. Survey-weighted logistic regression models were employed to assess the associations between LS7 and chronic constipation and diarrhea, adjusting for various demographic and health-related covariates.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Our findings revealed a significant inverse association between LS7 adherence and the prevalence of chronic constipation (OR: 0.914, 95% CI: 0.864\u20130.966, <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f=\u202f0.003) and chronic diarrhea (OR: 0.883, 95% CI: 0.856\u20130.912, <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\u202f&amp;lt;\u202f0.0001). The protective effect of LS7 was more pronounced among males and individuals with a BMI under 30\u202fkg\/m<jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup> for chronic constipation, and among younger adults and those without hypertension for chronic diarrhea. Restricted cubic spline analyses indicated a dose\u2013response relationship, particularly for chronic diarrhea.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>This study highlights the protective role of LS7 in promoting bowel health and preventing chronic constipation and diarrhea. Tailoring public health interventions based on demographic and health characteristics may enhance the effectiveness of strategies aimed at improving gastrointestinal health outcomes.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2025.1516210","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,12]],"date-time":"2025-02-12T12:40:11Z","timestamp":1739364011000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Life\u2019s Simple 7 and its impact on chronic bowel disorders: a study on constipation and diarrhea in the U.S. adult population"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Hongzhi","family":"Sun","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lei","family":"Qi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yiwei","family":"Ming","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Weichen","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maoneng","family":"Hu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1366","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-024-18683-8","article-title":"The relationship between oxidative balance scores and chronic diarrhea and constipation: a population-based study","volume":"24","author":"Hu","year":"2024","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1417","DOI":"10.3390\/nu5041417","article-title":"Fiber and prebiotics: mechanisms and health benefits","volume":"5","author":"Slavin","year":"2013","journal-title":"Nutrients"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3179","DOI":"10.3390\/nu15143179","article-title":"The longitudinal interplay between sleep, anthropometric indices, eating behaviors, and nutritional aspects: a systematic review and Meta-analysis","volume":"15","author":"Grimaldi","year":"2023","journal-title":"Nutrients"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1978","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.2021.4417","article-title":"Screening for colorectal Cancer: updated evidence report and systematic review for the US preventive services task force","volume":"325","author":"Lin","year":"2021","journal-title":"JAMA"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"559","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ahj.2007.01.008","article-title":"Insulin resistance is associated with increased risk of major cardiovascular events in patients with preexisting coronary artery disease","volume":"153","author":"Tenenbaum","year":"2007","journal-title":"Am Heart J"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1189","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cgh.2020.05.026","article-title":"Low-fat, high-Fiber diet reduces markers of inflammation and Dysbiosis and improves quality of life in patients with ulcerative colitis","volume":"19","author":"Fritsch","year":"2021","journal-title":"Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3662","DOI":"10.3390\/nu15163662","article-title":"Nutrition, physical activity and supplementation in irritable bowel syndrome","volume":"15","author":"Radziszewska","year":"2023","journal-title":"Nutrients"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"59","DOI":"10.1007\/164_2016_111","article-title":"Constipation: pathophysiology and current therapeutic approaches","volume":"239","author":"Sharma","year":"2017","journal-title":"Handb Exp Pharmacol"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"17095","DOI":"10.1038\/nrdp.2017.95","article-title":"Chronic constipation","volume":"3","author":"Camilleri","year":"2017","journal-title":"Nat Rev Dis Primers"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"134","DOI":"10.3310\/hta12130","article-title":"Stepped treatment of older adults on laxatives. 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