薬理と治療

Abstract

Background In recent years, constipation is increasing in accordance with the westernization of food. One of the causes of constipation is insufficient intake of dietary fiber. Inulin is a soluble fiber that is utilized for a long time in the food; it has been reported to be effective for bowel habit and fecal microflora. However, there are few reports that examined the effect of inulin on the bowel habits in Japanese. Objectives The aim of present study was to determine the effect of inulin on stool incidence, stool frequency and stool amount in healthy Japanese adult. Methods In a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, 25 healthy young female volunteers were provided with inulin-containing rice bread（test）or control rice bread（placebo）up to 2 piece per day for 2 week. Results There was no significant difference in the intake of test bread with the control bread. Daily intakes of inulin per day were 7.3 g in the test period and 0.2 g in the placebo period. As compared to the control treatment, test treatment significantly increased stool incidence, stool frequency and stool amount. Conclusions The present study has demonstrated that daily intake of inulin improved bowel habit through increasing stool incidence, stool frequency and stool amount in healthy Japanese young female.