KOTA KINABALU: The squatting toilet, once common in many Malaysian households and public facilities, may offer significant health advantages over modern sitting toilets, according to medical experts from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS).
Although sitting toilets are now widely preferred for comfort and convenience, specialists say the squatting position is actually more consistent with the human body’s natural anatomy during bowel movements.
Senior Lecturer at International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Professor Dr. Muhammad Irfan Mohamad Salmi, explained that the process of defecation begins when stool enters the rectum, causing it to expand and trigger a nerve reflex that signals the brain that it is time to pass stool.
“In normal circumstances, several processes occur simultaneously: the anal sphincter muscles relax, the rectum contracts, and pressure within the abdominal cavity increases to help push stool out,” he said.
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