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Numerous treatments are available for patients with chronic constipation, but many are either minimally effective or costly. Green kiwifruit has been touted as a natural remedy, and its efficacy is supported by a few small trials in Europe and Asia. To assess benefits and tolerability of green kiwifruit in a North American population, researchers in Michigan randomized 79 patients with chronic constipation (i.e., ≤3 spontaneous bowel movements weekly) to 4 weeks of green kiwifruit (2 peeled whole fruits daily), prunes (about 12 prunes daily), or psyllium (12 g daily). These doses provide equivalent amounts of fiber. Patients met Rome IV criteria for either irritable bowel syndrome with constipation or functional constipation.
The primary end…