Constipation increases your risk of a heart attack, new study finds – and not just on the toilet

Elvis Presley was said to have died of a heart attack while straining on the toilet. But is that true? Kraft74/Shutterstock

If you Google the terms “constipation” and “heart attack” it’s not long before the name Elvis Presley crops up. Elvis had a longstanding history of chronic constipation and it’s believed he was straining very hard to poo, which then led to a fatal heart attack.

We don’t know what really happened to the so-called King of Rock “n” Roll back in 1977. There were likely several contributing factors to his death, and this theory is one of many.