Objective: : This study aimed to compare the effects of a special bowel recipe with psyllium on symptoms of constipation.
Methods: : Women with symptoms of constipation were randomized to 6 weeks of either psyllium or a special bowel recipe. Patients completed a constipation scoring questionnaire and recorded characteristics of each bowel movement.
Results: : A total of 53 participants completed prestudy and poststudy constipation scoring questionnaires. Both groups demonstrated improvement in constipation scores (psyllium: 13.9 ± 4.7 to 9.0 ± 4.6, P < 0.001; recipe: 13.6 ± 4.1 to 8.5 ± 5.0, P < 0.001). Mean differences in pretreatment and posttreatment constipation scores were not statistically different between the 2 groups.Subjects taking the bowel recipe strained only 20% of the time compared with those using psyllium who strained 57% of the time (P = 0.007). Other symptoms improved from baseline, but the majority was not different between treatment groups.
Conclusions: : The bowel recipe demonstrated no significant difference in efficacy to pure fiber.