A curved toilet seat help poop correctly
Social media users have been shocked to learn they’ve been pooping wrong after learning of a new, bizarre toilet designed for the optimum bowel-emptying position.
A curved toilet seat that dips in the middle is said to be the best shape to help avoid kinks or folds in the rectum that can cause us to strain.
As explained here, a viral video demonstration of the toilet shared on social media that’s been viewed more than 66,000 times shows that the WC allows the body to sink much lower than the average toilet, as it lifts the knees higher than the hips.
This recreates a squat position, which has long been shown to be the optimum stance to relieve constipation and help the stool exit the bowel.
Similar designs already exist, with many Asian countries having squat toilets, and in 2012 US company Squatty Potty launched the highly popular foot stool in the UK, dubbed the ‘stool for better stools.’
Reacting to the video, social media users have been horrified to learn they’ve been ‘pooping wrong.’
Reddit users expressed shock and disbelief upon learning about a new toilet design that allegedly provides the optimal position for bowel movements. One user humorously admitted to watching the video while sitting incorrectly on their own toilet. Another commenter acknowledged they had been using improper posture for their entire life when using the bathroom. A third person lamented the wasted years, suggesting they could have had more time if they had known the correct position all along.
However, many users expressed skepticism about the practicality of the design. One Reddit user strongly objected to the toilet’s low height, worrying about the difficulty of standing up afterward and questioning why special positioning was even necessary when traditional toilets worked fine for most people. Another commenter raised concerns about the water level of male anatomy, using the euphemism “low-hanging fruit” to suggest potential discomfort. A third user agreed with these criticisms, arguing that the toilet would be “perfectly awful” because users would either make uncomfortable contact with the water or experience unpleasant splashback, depending on the water level.
Kelsey Trull, a digestive health expert, advises that the best position for opening the bowels is the squat, as it relaxes your muscles enough to straighten out the intestine, making it easier for waste to travel to the rectum.
Sitting with the body at a 90-degree angle to the leg means a muscle in the colon, called the puborectalis, remains taut, keeping the intestine ‘kinked’.
Resting one’s feet on a stool brings the legs up to a squatting position; the puborectalis loosens, making the colon straight, and feces can pass through easily.
Research has also suggested that squatting is the superior technique.
According to a 2012 study published in the journal Digestive Diseases and Sciences, those who squatted on a toilet took an average of 51 seconds to release their bowels.
Meanwhile, those who sat recorded an average time of over two minutes.
It comes as medics have suggested sitting on the toilet for longer than ten minutes could cause a range of intimate health problems and may be a sign of colon cancer.
Gastroenterologist Dr. Lance Uradomo explained how needing to spend longer on the loo to complete a bowel movement could be an indicator of the disease, which is on the rise in people under 50.
‘If a growth inside the colon grows big enough, it can block the flow of your stool, which can cause constipation and bleeding,’ he said.