Chic, limited-edition st shoes promise a healthier poop

It’s footwear fit for the porcelain throne.A gut health brand is giving bathroom breaks a stylish upgrade with a chic new alternative to the Squatty Potty, debuting a limited-edition pair of shoes it says can help make trips to the toilet a smoother experience.“They are about to change the way the world poops,” Let Loose founder and CEO Alexandra Houx Grounds declared in an Instagram video unveiling the product.Designed to be a more discreet and stylish alternative to traditional toilet stools, the $69 “s–t shoes” feature a retro-inspired design reminiscent of chunky slip-on platform sandals.But these wedges aren’t made for strutting.Featuring a 7-inch lift, they’re designed to raise the knees into a squat-like position while on the toilet, which the company says can help get things moving.“When you sit on the toilet, it is not the natural position you’re supposed to be in to poop,” Grounds said.“Back in the olden days, we would squat,” she explained.

“Squatting allowed for your knees to be lifted up seven inches for your colon to actually unkink and be able to move poop through you.”The difference comes down to anatomy.Sitting upright on a toilet can leave the muscles around the rectum partially kinked, creating more resistance during a bowel movement.However, raising your knees above your hips and leaning forward into a squat-like position can help relax the sling-shaped muscle around the rectum, allowing things to move along with less resistance.Let Loose says its patent-pending product, available in small and large sizes, can help users spend less time pushing and straining on the porcelain throne.And that matters more than you might think.

Frequent straining has been linked to issues like hemorrhoids, which are swollen, inflamed veins that can form inside or outside the anus and rectum.Hemorrhoids affect about 1 in 20 Americans, with the number rising to roughly half of adults by age 50.They can cause uncomfortable symptoms incl...