Thread by @hyderabaddoctor

#Kiwifruit found effective in #constipation
1. Constipation is a common problem and drug treatments do not work in many.
In a recent trial, efficacy of kiwifruit was tested in patients with functional constipation (FC) & constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C)

2. Participants were randomly assigned to consume either two ripe green kiwifruit without the skins, or 7.5 g of #psyllium per day for 4 weeks.
Psyllium (OTC) is considered a first-line treatment for both the constipation conditions with which participants were diagnosed.

3. At the end of the 4-week treatment periods, the people with functional constipation who ate kiwifruit demonstrated an average increase of 1.53 bowel movements per week, a statistically significant increase.

Those with IBS-C demonstrated an increase of 1.73 bowel movements.

4. Both groups reported significantly improved gastrointestinal comfort on the gastrointestinal symptom rating scale.
Patients with IBS-C had significantly lesser abdominal pain after kiwifruit intake.
#MedTwitter #ibs

5. Among those participants who took psyllium, only those with IBS-C experienced a statistically significant increase in the frequency of their bowel movements or a decrease in their gastrointestinal symptoms. Their bowel movements increased by an average of 1.87 per week.

6. The participants who ate kiwifruit reported softening of stool consistency, reduction in straining, and improvement in quality of life compared to baseline, and these improvements in straining and stool consistency were better than was reported by those who took psyllium.

7. Conclusion
Consumption of two green kiwifruit can be safely recommended as an effective treatment for constipation in those with functional gastrointestinal disorders that will also provide improvements in symptoms of GI comfort.
Ref: Medscape; AJG

journals.lww.com/ajg/Abstract/9…

8. Kiwifruit is a prebiotic and promotes the content of faecal lactobacilli and bifidobacteria (as compared to the baselines of the same individual before consumption) for as long as the fruit is consumed.
Reference:
doi.org/10.3402%2Fmehd…