Background: Irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) and functional constipation (FC) have significant personal, health care, and social impacts, affecting patients' quality of life. Treatment of these conditions is challenging. While green kiwifruit is a promising natural alternative to laxatives, its effectiveness in managing abdominal pain and the underlying mechanism of action is yet to be substantiated.
Objective: This study investigates the effect of consuming 2 green kiwifruit daily for 4 weeks (the habitual serving) on abdominal pain and discomfort in individuals with IBS-C and FC.
Methods: This study is a 2-arm parallel, open-label, placebo-controlled randomized study. This study's duration was 9 weeks, with a 3-week lead-in phase, a 4-week intervention phase, and a 2-week follow-up phase. A total of 60 participants with IBS-C and FC were randomized to consume either 2 Zespri green kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa "Hayward," ~150 g per serving, ~90 kcal) or maltodextrin (calorie-matched to the fruit, ~25 g per serving, ~90 kcal) per day for 4 weeks. The participants completed validated questionnaires assessing digestive and general health and well-being parameters, underwent magnetic resonance imaging to determine colon physiological measures, ingested a blue food dye, provided blood and fecal samples to measure microbial, immunological, and biochemical parameters, and ingested wireless motility devices (selected participants only) to assess physiological processes.
Results: Recruitment for this study began in May 2021 and was completed in May 2022. A total of 63 participants were randomized, and 57 were analyzed using intention-to-treat analysis. Data analysis is complete, and full results are expected to be published in a peer-reviewed journal by April 2026.
Conclusions: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of green kiwifruit consumption in managing abdominal pain in individuals with IBS-C and FC. It will provide new insights into the mechanisms behind the habitual consumption of green kiwifruit for digestive comfort in this population.
Keywords: abdominal pain; colonic volume; constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome; functional constipation; green kiwifruit; gut microbiome; metabolites; mobile phone; randomized control trial.
© Jasjot Maggo, Hwei Min Ng, Simone Birgit Bayer, Catherine L Wall, Caroline L Hoad, Luca Marciani, Jane Mullaney, Diana Cabrera, Karl Fraser, Janine Cooney, Catrin S Günther, Tania Trower, Jeffery Tang, Oliver Gasser, Amber Milan, Warren C McNabb, Robin Spiller, Tamlin Conner, Chris Frampton, Meika Foster, Nicole C Roy, Richard B Gearry. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (https://www.researchprotocols.org).