Two Gold Kiwifruit Daily for Effective Treatment of Constipation in Adults—A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Chronic constipation is highly prevalent worldwide and may be managed with two green or three gold kiwifruit daily. It is unknown whether a smaller standard serve of gold kiwifruit (two daily) is as effective in constipation management. The study aimed to improve chronic constipation with two gold kiwifruit and psyllium in lieu of a placebo daily over four weeks. Adult participants (18–65 years) with functional constipation (FC, n = 11), constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C, n = 13), and healthy controls (n = 32) were block-randomized to the treatment order: gold kiwifruit (2/day) or psyllium (fiber-matched, 7.5 g/day) for four weeks, followed by four weeks washout before crossover. Outcomes included alterations of Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) domains and weekly complete spontaneous bowel movements (CSBM) as part of a larger study. Both interventions reduced GSRS constipation domain scores in all subjects compared to baseline values (p = 0.004). All participants reported significantly more weekly CSBM (p = 0.014). Two gold kiwifruit decreased straining (p = 0.021). Two gold kiwifruit daily are as effective as fiber-matched psyllium in treating constipation in adults and should be considered as a treatment option.