Colon Cleansers Can Block Nutrient Absorption

Regular use of colon cleansers or laxatives can harm you by blocking the absorption of nutrients from your colon into your bloodstream. There are two absorption systems in the digestive tract. First the food that you eat passes from your stomach to your upper intestines, where secretions from your stomach, liver, intestines and pancreas break down carbohydrates, fats and proteins into their building blocks. Only these building blocks -- basic sugars, amino acids, fatty acids and glycerol -- are absorbed from your intestines into your bloodstream. The food that is not broken down cannot be absorbed so it passes to your colon.

Bacteria in your colon convert undigested starches into short chain fatty acids that heal ulcers, prevent colon cancer and other cancers, reduce the pain of arthritis, prevent the arterial damage of arteriosclerosis, lower cholesterol, and even lower high blood pressure. Colon cleansers or laxatives reduce the absorption of these beneficial short chain fatty acids. Promoters who recommend these products claim that they remove old stool that gets stuck and rots in your colon, but this is ridiculous. Undigested waste products stick together by a physical process called surface tension, so they cannot pass by older stool. More on treatment of constipation