Stuhlgang anregen: Welche Wege es gibt und wie gut sie belegt sind

Chapter 1 explains how to recognize a change. Chapter 2 presents the three evidence-based target values, and Chapter 3 covers warning signs. From Chapter 4 onward, each option is discussed individually; Chapter 5 provides a direct comparison of the three fiber-based approaches.

What to expect in this article
1. What does “stimulating bowel movements” actually mean?
2. Which target values are supported by evidence?
3. What do official bodies recommend—and when should you see a doctor?
4. Option 1: Fiber from food
5. Options 2 and 3: Psyllium husks and fiber supplements compared
6. Options 4 and 5: Fluid intake and physical activity
7. Options 6 and 7: Probiotics and laxatives
8. Option 8: Microbiome analysis—what it shows and what it does not
9. What none of these options can do
Frequently asked questions
Sources

What does “stimulating bowel movements” actually mean?

Stimulating bowel movements means two things: making the stool softer and getting intestinal transit into a rhythm that feels normal for you.

There is no universally applicable number for how often a person should have a bowel movement in the sources reviewed—so none is given here. What matters is not a target value, but the change compared with your own normal state.

Why consistency is more informative than frequency

Stool consistency describes how much water it contains. Dietary fiber binds water in the intestines, making the stool softer and easier to move through the digestive tract.

According to the German Nutrition Society (DGE, 2021), dietary fiber affects both the transit time of food through the stomach and intestines and the stool’s mass and consistency, as well as the frequency of bowel movements. That is precisely why nutrition comes first when it comes to this topic.

Hard stools create a second problem: straining heavily. According to IQWiG (2025), heavy straining can worsen symptoms and cause pain in people with enlarged hemorrhoids.

How this article differs from related topics

This article deals exclusively with stool frequency and stool consistency. How to support your digestion overall — including feelings of fullness, bloating, and eating patterns — is covered in the guide Stimulate digestion. You can find a structured weekly nutrition plan in the article Gut cleansing: meal plan.

Which target values are supported by evidence?

Three figures keep coming up in this topic, all from identifiable institutions. They are not guarantees of effectiveness, but guideline and recommendation values.

Source: DGE 2021, IQWiG 2025, WHO 2020

30 grams of dietary fiber: the DGE guideline value

The German Nutrition Society (DGE) gives adults a guideline value of at least 30 grams of dietary fiber per day (DGE, 2021). This figure refers to the total daily intake from food, not to a single product. The DGE (2021) also classifies increased fiber intake as protective against cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, colon and breast cancer, and the risk of death.

1.5 to 2 liters: the fluid intake from the IQWiG guide

The Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) cites 1.5 to 2 liters per day as the recommended fluid intake when it comes to preventing constipation and straining heavily (IQWiG, 2025). The figure is presented in the context of dietary changes and exercise, not on its own.

150 to 300 minutes: the WHO's physical activity recommendation

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults engage in 150 to 300 minutes of moderate or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week, as well as muscle-strengthening activities on at least two days (WHO, 2020). This recommendation applies generally to health and is not a specific constipation treatment.

What do official bodies recommend—and when is it time to see a doctor?

The most concise summary of self-help measures comes from IQWiG and names exactly the three levers at issue here.

Important for proper interpretation: This source is from the IQWiG guide on hemorrhoids. The recommendation there expressly refers to avoiding constipation and excessive straining—it is not a general treatment recommendation for every form of constipation.

For this article, it is nevertheless the appropriate reference because it describes exactly the point at issue when people talk about “stimulating bowel movements”: softer stools without straining. In addition, IQWiG (2025) often recommends eating fiber-rich foods such as fruit, grains, vegetables, and legumes to soften the stool.

Warning signs that call for more than a home remedy

Certain accompanying signs suggest that more is behind the change than a low-fiber diet.

Constipation can also be a symptom of another condition. According to IQWiG (2026), diverticular disease usually causes pain in the lower left abdomen; bloating, constipation, or diarrhea may also occur.

Option 1: Dietary fiber from food—how well is this approach supported by evidence?

Best for: anyone who wants to make a lasting change

Dietary fiber from ordinary foods is the basic option—and the only one mentioned in the reviewed sources by both the DGE and IQWiG. It works by binding water in the intestine and thereby affecting stool consistency. The IQWiG (2025) names fruit, grains, vegetables, and legumes.

The most common mistake is speed: anyone who doubles their fiber intake in one day will often experience bloating. Increasing it over two to three weeks is more tolerable, and fluid intake must increase as well.

Assessment: The approach using ordinary foods has the broadest evidence base and costs nothing extra—but it requires the most adjustment in everyday life.

Options 2 and 3: Psyllium and fiber supplements compared

If too little fiber is obtained through food, reaching for a product may seem like the obvious choice. Two approaches are often confused, even though their evidence bases are very different.

Option 2: Psyllium seeds and psyllium husks

Best for: anyone who can reliably drink enough

Psyllium consists of swelling plant fibers. They bind water and thereby increase stool volume—the same mechanism as fiber from food, only more concentrated.

According to IQWiG (2025), studies indicate that plant-based fiber products such as psyllium may reduce the frequency of bleeding from enlarged hemorrhoids. This indicates a benefit in a clearly defined context, not general evidence of effectiveness for every form of constipation.

One condition is non-negotiable: According to IQWiG (2025), anyone taking psyllium must pay particular attention to drinking enough. Bulk-forming agents without fluid are not a halfway solution but the wrong approach.

Assessment: Psyllium husks are the best-supported supplement — but only for people who can actually reach the required fluid intake.

Option 3: Fiber supplements as a dietary supplement

Best for: no one expecting an effect based on the current evidence

Fiber supplements promise the amount from the guideline value in capsule or powder form. The idea is obvious, but the evidence does not support it.

According to IQWiG (2023), it has not been shown that additional fiber supplements help. This is inconvenient because supplements would be the easiest route. A lack of evidence is not proof of ineffectiveness — but it is not a basis for a recommendation either.

Assessment: This option has the weakest evidence base — anyone who wants to spend money would be better off investing it in fiber-rich foods.

The three fiber approaches side by side

The following table compares the three approaches across the same five criteria. Where the source material examined provides no information, this is stated explicitly in the cell instead of estimating a figure here.

The line about speed of action is not an oversight: neither the DGE nor IQWiG specifies in the cited sources a period after which a change should occur.

Options 4 and 5: Fluid intake and physical activity

These two options cost nothing and are presented on an equal footing alongside dietary changes in the IQWiG quotation from Chapter 3.

Option 4: Drink enough fluids

Best for: anyone currently increasing their fiber intake

Fiber binds water. If there is not enough fluid, it does not swell properly—and a higher-fiber diet may then feel even more uncomfortable than before.

IQWiG (2025) specifies 1.5 to 2 liters per day in connection with avoiding constipation and heavy straining. This amount is not a miracle formula but the range on which the other recommendations are based.

Assessment: Drinking is not a standalone solution, but it is the condition under which the other options can work.

Option 5: Physical activity and a regular daily routine

Best for: anyone with a predominantly sedentary daily routine

Regular physical activity is the third lever in the IQWiG recommendation—and the only one with an international recommendation specifying an amount. The WHO (2020) specifies 150 to 300 minutes of moderate or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week, supplemented by muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days.

A regular daily routine includes set mealtimes, allowing enough time to use the toilet, and avoiding straining. According to IQWiG (2025), straining heavily can worsen symptoms and cause pain when hemorrhoids are enlarged.

Assessment: Physical activity and a regular daily routine offer the best balance between effort and overall benefit—even though the effect on bowel movements is not quantified in the sources reviewed.

Options 6 and 7: Probiotics and laxatives

Two other approaches are mentioned regularly — and lead in very different directions.

Option 6: Probiotics from foods or supplements

Best for: anyone who wants to try them without fixed expectations

Probiotics are living microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria or certain yeasts. They are found in foods such as plain yogurt and in dietary supplements; they are often credited with health-promoting effects (IQWiG, glossary entry “Probiotics”).

There is a clear statement regarding tolerability: According to IQWiG (2023), probiotics are generally well tolerated, with mild side effects such as bloating occurring only rarely. However, good tolerability is not the same as proven effectiveness. For the specific point “stimulating bowel movements,” the reviewed source material contains no substantiated claim of effectiveness for probiotics — so none is made here.

Assessment: Probiotics are well tolerated, but they are not an option on which expectations can be based.

Option 7: Laxatives

Best for: only after medical or pharmacy advice

Laxatives directly affect bowel activity. That is why this article will neither recommend nor provide dosages for them. Selection, dosage, and duration of use belong in a doctor’s office or pharmacy — a blog article knows neither your existing conditions nor your medications.

Assessment: Laxatives are the only option here for which this article deliberately provides no instructions for action.

Option 8: Microbiome analysis — what it shows and what it does not

Best for: anyone who wants to have the composition of their gut flora in writing

A microbiome analysis examines which bacteria occur in the gut and in what proportions — a snapshot, not an intervention.

A microbiome test measures the composition of the gut flora, not stool frequency. Anyone expecting a laboratory report to explain why they have not had a bowel movement for three weeks will be disappointed.

mybody® (MYBODY Lab GmbH) offers these analyses as at-home tests using a stool sample. The analysis is performed in an ISO-certified laboratory in accordance with ISO 27001, and data processing complies with the GDPR.

Gut Flora MICROBIOME Test Complete

The Complete test uses DNA sequencing to identify more than 1,500 bacterial species and provides a report of around 15 pages — covering bacterial diversity, the ratio of protective to potentially harmful microorganisms, indications of dysbiosis, the FODMAP index, and enterotype determination. What the test cannot do: It does not diagnose conditions, detect inflammatory bowel disease, tumors, or celiac disease — and it does not provide information about your stool frequency.

Price: €189.00 (instead of €219.00)  ·  Sample type: stool sample  ·  Processing time: approx. 20–25 business days  ·  Laboratory: ISO-certified laboratory analysis, ISO 27001

To the Microbiome Test Complete

Gut Flora MICROBIOME Test Basic

The entry-level version shows the composition of the gut flora, the ratio of protective to potentially harmful bacteria, the intestinal environment based on the pH value, fungal colonization, and indications of dysbiosis — also in a report of around 15 pages. The FODMAP index and enterotype determination are not included. Like the Complete version, the test is not a diagnostic procedure and does not provide information about stool frequency.

Price: €139.00  ·  Sample type: stool sample  ·  Processing time: approx. 20–25 business days  ·  Laboratory: ISO-certified laboratory analysis, ISO 27001

To the Microbiome Test Basic

All price and service information is current as of July 28, 2026. Prices and processing times may change; the respective product page always provides the authoritative information.

Is a microbiome analysis worthwhile for this issue?

The following comparison also covers cases in which a test is the wrong answer.

Assessment: A microbiome analysis is a snapshot, not an intervention—it complements the basic options but replaces neither them nor medical evaluation.

What none of these options can do

All eight options address diet, fluid intake, physical activity, or taking stock of the situation. None of them investigates an underlying cause.

No test or home remedy can replace medical evaluation when warning signs occur. This applies to blood in the stool as well as significant weight loss, fever, or pallor.

A second limitation concerns expectations about speed. The sources reviewed do not specify how long it should take for a change to occur. Anyone expecting a result after three days is measuring against a number that does not exist.

A third limitation is individuality: According to IQWiG (2023), how people react to foods varies greatly from person to person.

Finally, constipation can be a symptom of an underlying condition. Diverticula, for example, are common—according to IQWiG (2026), about 13% of people under 50 have diverticula, compared with about 50% of people over 70. Irritable bowel syndrome is also widespread: IQWiG (2023) estimates that about 10 to 20 out of 100 people have irritable bowel syndrome.

Conclusion

Those who want to stimulate bowel movements have three options with the broadest evidence base: more fiber from foods, adequate fluid intake, and regular physical activity. IQWiG (2025) names exactly these three as well.

Psyllium husks are the best-supported supplement, but only with sufficient fluid intake. According to IQWiG (2023), fiber supplements have not been shown to be effective, while probiotics are merely well tolerated. Laxatives should be discussed with a doctor’s office or pharmacy.

In concrete terms: Start with your diet, increase your fiber intake over two to three weeks toward the DGE guideline value of 30 grams per day, drink 1.5 to 2 liters daily, and incorporate into your week the amount of physical activity recommended by the WHO (2020). If you then want to take a closer look at the composition of your gut flora, a microbiome analysis is a sensible next step—as a snapshot, not a substitute for making these changes.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. IQWiG / gesundheitsinformation.de: What can you do yourself about hemorrhoids? (2025) — gesundheitsinformation.de
2. German Nutrition Society (DGE): Reference values for fiber (2021) — dge.de
3. World Health Organization: Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour (2020) — ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
4. IQWiG / gesundheitsinformation.de: What helps with irritable bowel syndrome—and what does not? (2023) — gesundheitsinformation.de
5. IQWiG / gesundheitsinformation.de: Irritable bowel syndrome (2023) — gesundheitsinformation.de
6. IQWiG / gesundheitsinformation.de: Diverticular disease and diverticulitis (2026) — gesundheitsinformation.de

The verbatim quotation in Chapter 3, the recommended fluid intake of 1.5 to 2 liters, the recommendation to eat high-fiber foods, the study reference on psyllium husks, and the statement about straining strongly are taken from [1]. The guideline value of 30 grams of fiber per day, as well as the information on transit time, stool consistency, and protective effects, are taken from [2]. The exercise recommendation is taken from [3]. The statements on fiber supplements, probiotic tolerability, and the individual nature of responses to foods are taken from [4]. The warning signs, the recommendation to have blood in the stool evaluated, and the prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome are taken from [5]. The additional warning signs and information on diverticula are taken from [6]. The definition of probiotics comes from the “Probiotics” glossary entry on gesundheitsinformation.de, which is listed without a date and is therefore referenced in the text rather than in the list. Product information comes from the mybody® product pages, accessed on July 28, 2026. All other sources cited in the text are identified directly at the relevant point by institution and year.

mybody® Editorial & Expert Team

Gut health Microbiome Fiber Nutritional science

This article was created and medically reviewed by the mybody® Editorial and Expert Team. The team combines expertise in nutrigenetics, microbiome and gut science, blood analysis interpretation, nutritional science, and laboratory diagnostics.

Published on July 28, 2026 · Last updated on July 28, 2026

Medical notice: This article is for general information only and does not replace medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Persistent or sudden changes in bowel habits, blood in the stool, significant weight loss, fever, or severe abdominal pain should be medically evaluated. A microbiome test is not a diagnostic procedure.