How to Increase Gut Motility?

When your gut refuses to “keep things moving,” every day can feel like a battle—whether you’re dealing with chronic constipation, slow gut motility, or the exhausting stop-and-start rhythm of gastroparesis. If meals sit heavy, bloating shows up uninvited, or you feel like your digestive system has hit the snooze button, you’re not alone—and you’re definitely not stuck. Unfortunately, poor gut motility is fairly common; it not only encompasses the 5-20% of the general population that deal with functional constipation, but also those suffering from a range of other GI conditions (1). The good news? There are evidence-based, practical ways to nudge your gut back into gear. In this guide, we’ll break down how to increase gut motility, why it stalls, and the tools—nutrition, lifestyle, and smart strategies—that can help you find relief and feel like yourself again.

What Controls Gut Motility?

Nerves, hormones, immune system function, the microbiota, and the presence of food trigger the three primary movement patterns that push food through our GI tracts: stomach contractions, peristalsis (wave-like muscular contractions along the GI tract), and the migrating motor complex (MMC) (2, 3, 4). The MMC refers to the high intensity sweeping action of the small intestine that pushes food into our large intestine while simultaneously preventing bacteria from the large intestine from migrating back up into the small intestine (therefore preventing small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).

Gut motility can be compromised from impairments in any of these three processes. For instance, if MMC contractions are weak, uncoordinated, or absent, a person will experience dysmotility. Slowed gut motility often leads to constipation because slower transport results in prolonged retention of food in the large intestine which in turn triggers greater water and electrolyte reabsorption, thus producing smaller, harder stools that are difficult to pass (4). 

The Role of the GI Microbiota 

Increasingly, we are learning more about the important role of bacteria in our guts — the gut microbiota— in maintaining proper gut motility.  

The gut microbiota can affect gut motility in a few ways: (5) 

1. These bacteria ferment dietary fibre, allowing them to produce beneficial substances such as short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and deconjugated bile salts, both of which help food move through the GI tract   
2. The gut microbiota can impact the nervous and hormonal responses occurring in our intestines that impact motility 
3. There is a strong link between the gut and our immune system, which is partly mediated by the gut microbiota  

Robust evidence for the microbiota-gut motility link exists: 

• Irritable bowel syndrome with predominant constipation (IBS-C) patients are more likely to have dysbiosis (an imbalanced microbiota profile). This means they often have different proportions of bacterial species that constitute their microbiome, such as having less Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli (generally associated with positive health outcomes and gut motility) and more Bacteroidetes (generally associated with worse health outcomes and gut motility) (3) (6).  
• Dysbiosis is a significant risk factor for SIBO, which is characterized by impaired function of the MMC   
• Bacteria-related gastroenteritis (food poisoning) can cause the onset of IBS, highlighting the vital role of the microbiota in gut motility (5) 

The Role of the Immune System

As mentioned above, another factor that controls gut motility is the immune system. This is evident from the relationship between poor gut motility with inflammation and infections. When the immune system is activated, the body initiates an inflammatory response which then alters the nerves and hormones implicated in gut motility. Immune system activation has been linked to various motility related conditions such as functional constipation and SIBO, furthering demonstrating this connection (3) (5). Similarly, the inflammation in Crohn’s Disease has also been shown to change the structure and function of relevant nerves (3). 

The Best Ways to Increase Gut Motility

It is crucial to first determine if you are suffering from a specific underlying condition such as gastroparesis, GERD, SIBO, or dyspepsia, as the precise treatment protocols will vary. For instance, although probiotics are often recommended to increase gut motility, doing so if suffering from SIBO can actually make symptoms worse! This is because the bacterial overgrowth in the SI in this condition includes good bacteria. So, the probiotics (which are good bacteria) can join this overgrowth, exacerbating bloating and motility issues (7). It is therefore extremely important to get tailored medical advice.     

Otherwise, here are some general guidelines that may help! 

1. Increase Dietary Fibre

 Knowing the importance of our gut microbiota for gut motility, it makes sense that we want to create as healthy a microbiome as possible! The best way to do this is to prioritize fibre which is found in plant foods including fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.   

Our gut microbiota need fibre to produce SCFAs which stimulate nerves and colonic smooth muscles involved in gut motility (3). One SCFA called butyric acid also aids the process by contributing to serotonin production which is also known to increase gut motility (8). 

As with fibre from food, fibre supplements can promote transit time. Specifically, cellulose, psyllium husk, and partially hydrolysed guar gum have been found to increase gut motility (3) (8). If you suffer from IBS, when selecting a fibre supplement it may be best to opt for psyllium husk, acacia gum, or partially hydrolyzed guar gum, while avoiding chicory root and inulin supplements as they can worsen GI symptoms.  

Although fibre is integral to gut health, more is not always better. Eating excess can slow transit as it is difficult for our bodies to break down, particularly if you do not drink enough water.  

Additionally, individual responses to a high fibre diet may vary. For instance, one study found that a high fibre diet increased transit time in people with slow baseline gut motility but decreased it in those with fast baseline gut motility, suggesting it can both increase or decrease gut motility depending which is favourable, therefore benefitting both diarrhea and constipation (9). However, less promisingly, another study found fibre generally does not resolve poor gut motility in individuals suffering from GI transit disorders. A high fibre diet was effective for 85% of people without such a disorder, but only 37% of patients with a disorder or defecation and 20% of patients with a disorder of slowed GI transit (10). Thus, while a high fibre diet may be beneficial for the general population, specific conditions may require more specialized medical intervention. 

2. Prioritize Fruit

Fruit has long since been used as a remedy for constipation. This is not only exemplary of the benefits of its fibre, but also of other compounds in fruit including sorbitol and polyphenols, all of which can increase gut motility. 

Several fruits have been shown to alleviate constipation by increasing specific species in the human gut microbiome such as blueberry powder (Bifidobacteria & Lactobacilli), prunes (Bifidobacteria), kiwi (Bacteroides & F. prausnitzii), and raisins (F. prausnitzii & Ruminococcus) (11). 

Fruit has been linked to improving constipation through other mechanisms including: 

• Increase stool weight: prunes, raisins, & apple fibre isolate (11)
• Increase small intestinal and stool water content: kiwi (11) 
• Speed gastric transit time: kiwi, prunes, psyllium(8) 

3. Other Dietary Recommendations

In addition to emphasizing fruit and fibre, various other dietary changes can aid gut motility.  

For instance, knowing the negative impact of inflammation on gut motility, an anti-inflammatory diet may be beneficial. This means prioritizing omega 3 fatty acids (such as in seafood (particularly fatty fish like salmon and trout), ground flaxseed, and chia seeds) and antioxidant rich foods (like berries, leafy greens, and beans), while limiting processed foods (refined carbohydrates, processed meats, packaged foods, etc).  

Another dietary consideration is to ensure you are eating enough, both overall and in terms of variety. Not eating a wide enough variety of food worsens stomach motility by decreasing microbiota diversity and digestive enzyme production while promoting food intolerances (12) (13). Meanwhile, undereating and several types of eating disorders are associated with decreased gut motility. Undereating (whether from anorexia nervosa, a busy lifestyle, stress, an illness, or other cause) limits energy availability, preventing the body from being able to allocate the energy needed to carry out peristalsis, stomach contractions, and the MMC, as energy is conserved for more critical organs such as the heart. Bulimia Nervosa can also reduce gut motility as vomiting trains our GI tract that food may be moving in either direction (14). If you are suffering from an eating disorder, it’s essential to seek medical support.    

Lastly, meal patterns throughout the day can also have a profound impact. Eating too often can disrupt the MMC since the MMC’s activities take roughly 90-120 minutes to effectively move food from the stomach to the LI. If we eat again before this process has completed, it hinders the ability to push bacteria into the LI, increasing the risk of dysbiosis and GI symptoms (15) (16). It’s thus generally advisable to space eating occasions out by at least 2-3 hours in addition to a minimum 12 hour overnight fast. 

4. Consider Probiotics

Probiotics are live microorganisms found in foods such as some yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, and supplements. Most controlled trials support that probiotics effectively normalize gut motility by modifying colonic smooth muscle and the nervous system, producing SCFAs, reducing inflammation, and/or strengthening the gut lining (3).  

Notably, not all probiotics are equally efficacious. Generally, many mainstream Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium probiotics may not be the best option for individuals with motility issues such as SIBO or IBS-C because they are quite large, making it hard for them to travel through the SI to reach the colon. This can potentially even lead to SIBO relapse as the probiotics may contribute to bacterial overgrowth in the SI, particularly in methane-dominant SIBO. A better alternative is spore forming bacillus strains because they remain in an inactive spore form during transit through the SI, and are therefore able to reach the colon even if gut motility is compromised (17-21). Another probiotic that’s had extreme success in SIBO is the yeast Saccharomyces boulardii, which brings the advantage of not being affected by the antibiotics typically used to treat SIBO, allowing their co-administration (22). 

5. Other Medications & Supplements 

Some other medications/supplements to consider include: 

• Magnesium oxide: a well researched, safe, and effective constipation remedy for which tolerance does not develop with continued use (23) (24) 

• Prokinetic agents: a class of drugs that increase and coordinate GI contractions; they are prescribed by physicians and gastroenterologists for GI motility disorders (25) 
• Ginger extract: promotes stomach contractions when taken at a sufficient dose (higher than what would get from the food) (26)  

6. Other Lifestyle-Based Strategies

Your diet is not the only thing that affects GI transit time. Here are some other changes you can make in your daily life to improve your gut motility: 

• Stress management:
  • Stress can negatively impact motility by disrupting the brain-gut axis, altering the composition of the microbiota, and increasing inflammation. Meanwhile, activities that stimulate parasympathetic nervous system activity promote gut motility. These activities differ by individual but consider meditation, breathing exercises, and yoga. In research, cognitive behavioural therapy, psychotherapy, stress management, hypnotherapy, acupuncture, and relaxation have been shown to be beneficial as adjuncts to mainstream treatment (27).  
• Exercise:
  • Cardiovascular exercise (running, biking, swimming, etc) is particularly effective, especially when done at high intensity (8)
  • Being physically active may improve your response to a high fibre diet: one analysis found a high fibre diet only reduced constipation in people who exercised (8) 

Key Points: How to Increase Gut Motility

Living with poor gut motility can be very disheartening. But, there are luckily some strategies you can implement to try to resolve it to improve your daily life. 

Because of the interplay of our gut microbiota with our digestive system, many effective interventions are dietary-related/based. These include eating a wide variety of fibres, fruits, and antioxidants, while ensuring to eat a sufficient amount of food spread out into complete meals spaced out by several hours. Other options include probiotics (with special consideration to the appropriateness of the chosen strain for your unique circumstance), stress management, exercise, and medications and/or herbal supplements. 

Since every person’s digestive system is unique, it will likely require some trial and error to land on a regimen that works for you. But don’t let that discourage you– by working with a gut-health specialized registered dietitian and carefully tracking your symptoms, you can get to the bottom of your gut motility once and for all! 

References

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