Dunedin, New Zealand – Kiwis increase stool frequency in people with constipation, according to New Zealand researchers.
“Beyond relief, there is significant improvement in texture, reflux, and abdominal pain resulting from overall improvement in digestive comfort,” they write. the doctor Richard Gearry and his colleagues from the University of Otago in the city of Dunedin in New Zealand.
Their international multicenter controlled study of kiwifruit as a treatment for constipation, against which available pharmaceutical treatments remain disappointing, was detailed in The American Journal of Gastroenterology.[1]
Get rigorous results
The fibers in the cell walls of kiwis are known to swell with water and retain it, which softens the stools and increases their frequency. Other components of kiwi, such as turnip skins, can alter the production of mucin, further increasing the laxative effect. Previously, several studies have suggested that regular consumption of fresh green kiwifruit may be effective as a treatment for constipation.
However, they were generally small in size and their evaluation criteria non-standardized, the authors recall, who do not address studies focusing on other fruits and vegetables as a treatment for constipation in their paper.
The researchers therefore set out to more rigorously evaluate the benefits of the kiwi. They also recruited adults in New Zealand, Italy and Japan who had functional constipation or constipation related to irritable bowel syndrome, but also individuals without constipation as controls. 184 participants, 136 women and 48 men, were included between June 12, 2014 and June 17, 2017. The mean age was 30.5 years in Japan, 36.9 years in Italy and 44.8 years in New Zealand , and the BMI of 20.6 in Japan, 23 in Italy and 25.4 in New Zealand.
Participants were asked to precisely note the frequency of their stools, their shape and consistency, the difficulty of evacuating them and also the use of laxatives during the two weeks following recruitment. Then, they were randomized to consume either two ripe kiwis daily for four weeks (Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa “Hayward”) without the husk, i.e. 7.5 grams of psyllium, considered first choice treatment. Psyllium contains as much fiber as a kiwi.
After four weeks, the treatments were stopped for a four-week rest period, after which the patients received the treatment they had not yet received for another four weeks. The researchers administered two 5 mg bisacodyl laxative suppositories as needed. 169 volunteers completed the study and their diary was more than 80% complete.
Kiwi, a significantly effective treatment
After the treatment periods, participants with functional constipation who ate kiwifruit had an average increase of 1.53 bowel movements per week (P <0.0001). Quant à ceux avec un syndrome de l'intestin irritable, the augmentation était de 1,73 (P = 0.0001). All participants reported a significant improvement in their gastrointestinal comfort. Stool frequency in control group participants did not increase.
Of the participants who took psyllium, only those with irritable bowel syndrome experienced a significant increase in stool frequency or a decrease in gastrointestinal symptoms. Their bowel movements increased by an average of 1.87 per week (P = 0.0051).
Participants who ate kiwifruit described a softer stool consistency, reduced pain, and an overall improvement in their quality of life. These improvements were greater than those reported by those taking psyllium.
“The results of the various clinical studies and the physiological data that emerge allow us to recommend the consumption of two kiwis as a cure for constipation”, conclude the researchers.
The results of the various clinical studies and the physiological data that emerge allow us to recommend the consumption of two kiwis as a cure for constipation.
This article originally appeared on Medscape.com under the title
Kiwis found effective for constipation. Translated and adapted by Marine Cygler
Financing and links of interest
Two researchers are employed by Zespri International, a cooperative of kiwifruit growers, which partially funded the study. The New Zealand Center was funded by a grant from the New Zealand Government.
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