New research was virtually presented at ACG 2020, the Virtual Annual Scientific Meeting & Postgraduate Course of the American College of Gastroenterology.
With patients with chronic constipation (CC) increasingly seeking natural treatments, psyllium and prunes shown to be effective in treating CC, and Asian studies suggesting that kiwi may also benefit CC symptoms, researchers conducted a randomized, comparative effectiveness trial evaluating green kiwifruit, psyllium, and prunes in patients with CC. Patients with similar demographics and three or less complete spontaneous bowel movements (CSBMs) to weeks of green kiwifruit (2/day), prunes (100 g/day), or psyllium (12 g/day) following a 2-week baseline screening period. The proportion of patients reporting an increase of one or more CSBM per week compared with baseline for at least 2 of 4 treatment weeks was similar in each group. Weekly CSBM rate and straining significantly improved with all three treatments, while stool consistency significantly improved with kiwi and prunes. Adverse events were most common with psyllium and least common with kiwi. Following treatment, a smaller proportion of patients were dissatisfied with kiwi than with prunes or psyllium.
