The effects of ingestion a soft drink containing 7g of Polydextrose (PD-drink) on both the fecal properties and the frequency of defecation were investigated in healthy female volunteers. 1) Effect on fecal properties : Ten volunteers participated in the study conducted using a blind placebo-controlled trial. They all consumed one serving of either a PD-drink or placebo drink (PL-drink) for 7 days. The total fecal weight during the period of PD-drink ingestion (474±212g) was thus found to be significantly higher (p<0.05) than that for the PL-drink ingestion (359±209g). The fecal moisture also changed significantly from 70.4±7.7% to 72.6±6.6%, while the stool consistency also decreased from 494±1528/cm2 to 397±158g/cm2 after consuming the PD-drink. 2) Effect on the frequency of defecation : A blind cross-over designed placebo-controlled trial was carried out with 45 women. Each subject consumed one serving of the PD-drink or PL-drink for 7 days. The frequency of defecation during the period that the PL-drink was consumed ranged from 2 to 14 times during the 7-day period. A significant increase (p<0.05) was observed after the ingestion of the PD-drink in the subjects who averaged less than 6 evacuations/7 days whereas no change was observed for the subjects who averaged more than 7 evacuations/7 days. These results suggested that the consumption of the PD-drink increased the fecal weight, fecal moisture and frequency of defecation, and also softened the stool consistency, thus resulting in a beneficial effect for constipated females.
