Daily consumption of two green kiwifruits may help relieve constipation

"Our study provides original evidence that the consumption of fresh, whole fruit can increase the frequency of bowel movements in constipated people," Richard Gearry from the University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand, and colleagues wrote in their study. " Also, there was a significant improvement in stool consistency, reduction in indigestion, constipation, and abdominal pain leading to an improved overall level of GI comfort."

Patients are increasingly looking for evidence-based natural treatments for many medical conditions, including constipation. Many patients believe natural products are less costly and safer than prescription medications. Owing to this, so-called 'functional foods' are increasing in popularity.

Previous studies have shown that consuming green kiwifruit relieves constipation. Also, there were reported improvements in gastrointestinal comfort. The researchers' team, therefore, investigated the effect of green kiwifruit consumption on GI function and comfort.

The study included 63 healthy controls (HC), 61 patients with constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C) and 60 with functional constipation (FC). They were randomly assigned to daily consumption of two green kiwifruits (7.5 g) followed by a 4-week wash-out, and then the other treatment ensued for four weeks.

The number of CSBM (complete spontaneous bowel movements) per week was determined (primary outcome). Secondary outcomes of GI comfort included the gastrointestinal symptom rating scale (GSRS). Intent-to-treat (ITT) data was analyzed as a difference from baseline through repeated measures analysis of variance appropriate for AB/BA cross-over design.

The study led to the following findings:

· Green kiwifruit consumption was linked with a clinically relevant increase of ≥ 1.5 CSBM per week (FC; 1.53, IBS-C; 1.73) and remarkably improved measures of GI comfort (GSRS total score) in constipated people (FC, IBS-C).

· No significant adverse events were observed.

Findings from the international multicenter controlled trial of kiwifruit as a constipation treatment provide evidence that consuming a fresh, whole fruit has shown clinically relevant increases in complete spontaneous bowel movements and improved GI comfort in constipated people.

"Green kiwifruit is a suitable dietary treatment for relieving constipation and associated GI comfort," the authors concluded.

Reference:

Gearry, Richard MD, PhD*,a,1; Fukudo, Shin MD, PhD*,2,7; Barbara, Giovanni MD*,3; Kuhn-Sherlock, Barbara PhD4; Ansell, Juliet PhD5; Blatchford, Paul PhD5; Eady, Sarah6; Wallace, Alison PhD6; Butts, Christine PhD6; Cremon, Cesare MD3; Barbaro, Maria Raffaella PhD3; Pagano, Isabella MD3; Okawa, Yohei PhD2; Muratubaki, Tomohiko PhD2; Okamoto, Tomoko PhD8; Fuda, Mikiko9; Endo, Yuka MD7; Kano, Michiko MD, PhD2; Kanazawa, Motoyori MD, PhD2,7; Nakaya, Naoki PhD10; Nakaya, Kumi PhD10; Drummond, Lynley B. Tech (Hons.)11. Consumption of two green kiwifruit daily improves constipation and abdominal comfort – results of an international multicentre randomized controlled trial. The American Journal of Gastroenterology ():10.14309/ajg.0000000000002124, December 20, 2022. | DOI: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000002124