Insights & Discussion
Fruits, especially kiwifruits, and rye bread can enhance bowel movements and help manage chronic constipation better than conventional dietary methods.
An exhaustive analysis was conducted incorporating a multitude of studies, including randomized controlled trials and uncontrolled trials, identified through electronic databases till 12th July 2023. The effect of various foods, drinks, and diets on characteristics such as stool output, gut transit time, symptoms, quality of life, adverse events, and compliance in adults with chronic constipation was inspected. The study also examined the response to different treatments and included a variety of foods such as kiwifruit, high-mineral water, prunes, rye bread, mango, fig, cereal, oat bran, yoghurt, water supplementation, prune juice, and high-fibre or no-fibre diets.
The synthesized data revealed that the consumption of fruits, particularly kiwifruits, and rye bread led to a higher stool frequency when compared to standard treatments like psyllium or white bread. High-mineral water also proved more effective regarding response to treatment than low-mineral water. On the other hand, no distinctive difference was identified for prunes when set against psyllium as a treatment option. Overall, the study insightfully suggests dietary modifications as a means to manage chronic constipation, emphasizing the potential of fruits such as kiwifruits and rye bread.
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Kiwifruit and kiwifruit extracts may have a positive impact on constipation in adults by increasing weekly bowel movements, reducing abdominal pain, and minimizing straining.
2022 Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Kiwifruit and Kiwifruit Extracts for Treatment of Constipation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Eltorki M, Leong R, Ratcliffe EM
Systematic Review Constipation Kiwifruit
Kiwifruit and kiwifruit extracts show promise in increasing weekly bowel movements and reducing abdominal pain and straining in adults with constipation, although the overall evidence is of low certainty. However, kiwifruit may lead to minor adverse effects, such as bloating and flatulence, compared to placebo, indicating potential for its use as a dietary supplement in constipation management, especially in conjunction with other laxatives if necessary, but further research is needed to establish its effectiveness.
Consuming green kiwifruits is associated with a clinically relevant increase of ≥ 1.5 complete spontaneous bowel movements per week in those experiencing constipation.
2022 American Journal of Gastroenterology Consumption of 2 Green Kiwifruits Daily Improves Constipation and Abdominal Comfort—Results of an International Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial Gearry R, Fukudo S, Barbara G, Kuhn-Sherlock B, Ansell J, Blatchford P, et al.
Randomised Controlled Trial Constipation Irritable Bowel Syndrome Kiwifruit
Participants included healthy controls (n = 63), patients with functional constipation (FC, n = 60), and patients with constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C, n = 61) randomly assigned to consume 2 green kiwifruits or psyllium (7.5 g) per day for 4 weeks, followed by a 4-week washout, and then the other treatment for 4 weeks. The primary outcome was the number of complete spontaneous bowel movements (CSBM) per week. Secondary outcomes included GI comfort which was measured using the GI symptom rating scale, a validated instrument. Data (intent-to-treat) were analyzed as difference from baseline using repeated measures analysis of variance suitable for AB/BA crossover design.
Consumption of green kiwifruit was associated with a clinically relevant increase of ≥ 1.5 CSBM per week (FC; 1.53, P < 0.0001, IBS-C; 1.73, P = 0.0003) and significantly improved measures of GI comfort (GI symptom rating scale total score) in constipated participants (FC, P < 0.0001; IBS-C, P < 0.0001). No significant adverse events were observed.
Two gold kiwifruit daily are as effective as fiber-matched psyllium in treating constipation in adults and should be considered as a treatment option.
2022 Nutrients Two Gold Kiwifruit Daily for Effective Treatment of Constipation in Adults—A Randomized Clinical Trial Bayer SB, Heenan P, Frampton C, Wall CL, Drummond LN, Roy NC, et al.
Randomised Controlled Trial Constipation Kiwifruit
This study provided evidence that habitual consumption of two gold kiwifruit daily, a realistic standard serving of fruit, is at least as effective as fiber-matched psyllium in lieu of placebo in treating constipation in adults, with fewer side effects, and offers greater ease of defecation through the improvement of stool consistency and reduction of straining.
Eating kiwifruits improves bowel movements and decreases stool consistency, also providing anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits to the gut barrier.
2021 Future Pharmacology Kiwifruit (Actinidia spp.) Dietary Consumption for Constipation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Antonelli M, Donelli D
Systematic Review Constipation Kiwifruit
The review included nine clinical studies investigating the effect of kiwifruit consumption on intestinal function and constipation. The studies, focusing on young or middle-aged adults predominantly, required participants to consume between two to four kiwifruits daily for durations varying from three days to four weeks. The impact on elderly individuals was less explored.
The review indicates that kiwifruits can enhance bowel movements and reduce stool consistency in both healthy individuals and those suffering from irritable bowel syndrome-induced constipation. The fiber and water content of kiwifruits is thought to contribute to these results. Furthermore, consumption of kiwifruit showed extra intestinal health advantages, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects on the gut barrier. However, when focusing on patients with constipation, the fruit's consumption correlated with a temporary increase in defecation frequency but inconsistently impacted stool consistency. High-quality methodical studies and meta-analysis substantiated these findings.
Eating whole SunGold kiwifruits, both with and without skin, can significantly decrease gut inflammation and alleviate constipation for both healthy people and those with irritable bowel syndrome.
2020 Nutrients The Effects on Immune Function and Digestive Health of Consuming the Skin and Flesh of Zespri® SunGold Kiwifruit (Actinidia Chinensis var. Chinensis ‘Zesy002’) in Healthy and IBS-Constipated Individuals Eady SL, Wallace AJ, Hedderley DI, Bentley-Hewitt KL, Butts CA
Randomised Controlled Trial Constipation Irritable Bowel Syndrome Kiwifruit
In the 16-week cross-over study, 38 participants (both healthy and those with Irritable Bowel Syndrome-Constipation) were randomly assigned to consume either three whole SunGold kiwifruits without the skin or three whole kiwifruits with the skin for periods of four weeks, with a length of four weeks between each intervention as a washout period.
Following the intervention, it was observed that there was a significant reduction in pro-inflammatory cytokines (specifically TNF-α) for both the healthy participants and those with Irritable Bowel Syndrome-Constipation when whole kiwifruits, including the skin, were consumed. Furthermore, similar results were witnessed for the healthy individuals upon consumption of whole kiwifruits without their skin. The consumption of kiwifruit – including its skin – also increased bowel frequency and led to significant reductions in the gastrointestinal symptom rating scale for constipation and Irritable Bowel Syndrome-related pain scores for both participant groups. Results indicate that the skin of the SunGold kiwifruit may have beneficial effects on gastrointestinal health that are not derived from merely consuming the fruit's flesh.
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