Consuming two green kiwifruits daily is associated with improvement in constipation and associated abdominal comfort.

The efficacy of green kiwifruit in alleviating constipation is well-established, and previous studies have also highlighted its positive impact on gastrointestinal (GI) comfort. In this international multicenter randomized controlled trial, the effects of the consumption of green kiwifruit on GI function and abdominal comfort were examined.

The study involved three groups: healthy controls (n = 63), patients suffering from functional constipation (FC, n = 60), and patients suffering from constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C, n = 61). Participants were randomly assigned to consume either 2 green kiwifruits or psyllium (7.5 g) per day for a period of four weeks. Subsequently, a four-week interval without any treatment (wash-out period) was implemented, followed by the administration of the alternate treatment for an additional four weeks.

The number of complete spontaneous bowel movements per week was the key endpoint ascertained. Secondary endpoints encompassed GI comfort, assessed utilizing a validated instrument called the GI symptom rating scale. The data, analyzed on an intent-to-treat basis, were assessed as differences from the baseline utilizing suitable repeated measures analysis of variance for an AB/BA crossover design.

The results showed that consumption of green kiwifruit led to a clinically significant rise of ≥ 1.5 complete spontaneous bowel movements per week in both the FC group (1.53, P < 0.0001) and the IBS-C group (1.73, P = 0.0003). Furthermore, GI comfort measures, as indicated by the total score on the GI symptom rating scale, remarkably enhanced in volunteers (FC, P < 0.0001; IBS-C, P < 0.0001). Importantly, no significant adverse events were witnessed during the study.

These findings provided novel evidence supporting the use of fresh whole green kiwifruit as a suitable dietary treatment for relieving constipation and improving GI comfort.