The number of South Koreans suffering from constipation has been on a steady rise in recent years with sexagenarians and older people taking up some 40 percent of the total, data showed Thursday.



Constipation sufferers in the country numbered 655,000 people in 2016, up from 616,000 the previous year and 595,000 two years earlier, according to the data by the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service.





(Yonhap)



Those in their 60s and older people accounted for 39 percent of the total, followed by toddlers and children aged under 10 with 25.9 percent and people in their 40s with 8.6 percent.



Women suffered more from the problem, accounting for 57.6 percent of the total number in 2016.



According to the service, senior people are more susceptible to constipation as they tend to take in less food and water, and prefer soft food to fiber-rich dishes. (Yonhap)