The improvement of bowel movement and intestinal environment by long-term pineapple intake in Japanese children

Abstract

  Pineapple, one of the most popular tropical fruits consumed throughout the world, is rich in dietary fiber, which is generally known to improve constipation. In Japan, one out of three elementary school children are reported to suffer from constipation, sometimes resulting in school refusal. To elucidate the health benefits of pineapple intake for Japanese children, a randomized, untreated-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial was conducted. Elementary school children tending to have constipation were given 100 g of pineapples per day for 4 weeks. The questionnaire for physical condition and defecation status, measurement of indoxyl sulfate in urine and analysis of intestinal microbiota were performed before and after the pineapple intake. As a result, defecation status was significantly improved and the proportion of beneficial gut bacteria was significantly increased in the pineapple intake group, indicating that pineapple intake could be helpful in improvement of defecation status and intestinal environment for elementary school children.