Series 4, Episode 3 — Understanding your bowels (constipation & diarrhoea)

About this episode

This episode focuses on understanding bowel habits, including constipation and diarrhoea, and how various factors affect gut health.

Understanding Your Gut is a patient-education podcast series for people experiencing common digestive symptoms, including: bloating abdominal discomfort constipation diarrhoea food-related gut symptoms IBS and functional bowel symptoms The series is designed to explain gut symptoms in a simple, reassuring and evidence-based way. Each episode is approximately 10 minutes long and focuses on helping patients understand: How the gut works why symptoms happen How food, stress, routine and gut sensitivity interact When symptoms are common and manageable and when medical review is important Topics Covered in this episode: - 👉 What controls bowel habits 👉 Constipation: o slow movement o medications o low intake / irregular eating 👉 Diarrhoea: o fast transit o osmotic effect (unabsorbed carbs)

People in this episode

Host: John King

Topics covered

• bowel habits
• constipation
• diarrhoea
• gut health
• digestive symptoms
• patient education

Keywords

• bowel habits
• constipation
• diarrhoea
• gut symptoms
• IBS
• functional bowel symptoms
• digestive health

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Mount Road Practice PPG

More episodes of Mount Road Practice PPG

• MRP PPG Newsletter - Issue 50, June 2026 · June 10, 2026 · 4 min
• MRP PPG Newsletter - Issue 49, May 2026 · May 25, 2026 · 4 min
• Series 4, Episode 4 — The truth about food triggers (FODMAPs explained simply) · May 15, 2026 · 7 min
• Series 4, Episode 2 — Why bloating happens (it’s not what you think) · May 15, 2026 · 7 min
• Series 4, Episode 6 — The gut–brain connection (why stress affects your gut) · May 15, 2026 · 6 min
• Series 4, Episode 5 — Gut-friendly eating (without restriction) · May 15, 2026 · 6 min