Is Your Drinking Water Contributing to Chronic Constipation?


The chlorinated water that you drink from the tap everyday is designed to kill any bacteria in the water. While this does protect the public from a variety of pathogens, it can cause chronic constipation when the chlorine enters your system and kills the beneficial bacteria in your intestines. Without the right bacteria, your colon can’t function properly and can become overrun by harmful bacteria, fungi, and yeasts. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of drinking tap water.


Tap Water: Risks & Benefts

The chlorination of the public water supply has been hailed by many public health officials as a major factor in reducing bacteria related deaths around the world. In fact, many public water systems contain fewer bacteria when you drink them then bottled water does. The problem is that municipal water systems must leave some chlorine in the water to prevent recontamination as it moves through underground pipes that must be chlorinated to prevent bacterial overgrowth. Once this chlorine and its by-products hit your body, chronic constipation might be the least of your worries. Chlorination leads to the formation of DBP’s (chlorination by-products) that have a variety of health concerns:


  • DBPs & Spontaneous abortion - a study published in Epidemiology in 1998 found that one of the DBPs called bromodichloromethane was associated with spontaneous abortion in women who drank more than 5 glasses per day of tap water.
  • DBPs & Cancer - one of the most studied DBPs is trihalomethane, which been shown to cause cell mutation (i.e. carcinogenic) in rats and has been associated with bladder, colon, and rectal cancer in the general population. Trihalomethanes are fat soluble, meaning they accumulated in the fatty tissues of the body.
  • Chlorine & chronic constipation - in order for the colon to successfully pass stools, it relies on fuel provided by beneficial bacteria. The short chain fatty acids produced when the beneficial bacteria feed are essential fuel to the colons cells. Chlorine in your water can weaken these bacteria and starve your gut of fuel (while also opening it up to harmful microbes). Chronic constipation can result.

    • What should I do?

    We all need to drink water – but raising awareness about the content of your local tap water can help you take steps to minimize your risk, and in the case of constipation, find relief. Constipation can be warded off by taking a daily probiotic supplement that helps to replenish the bacterial flora lost from drinking tap water. You can also use a water filter (preferably a pitcher not an attachment to the nozzle) to help filter chlorine out of your water and reduce the damage to your gut. But there are specific things to be aware of when using a water filter. See our article titled “Can a Water Filter Relieve Constipation?” for more information about avoiding chronic constipation related to your water supply.