Effects of Cookies Containing Indigestible Dextrin on Defecation and Fecal Condition in Human Subjects.

Abstract

Dietary fiber has been defined as "Food components that are not digested by the human digestive enzymes", and reported to have various physiological effects. The intake of the Japanese population was over the recommended intake of dietary fiber ( 20 25 g/day as an adult) until the 1960s, however, thereafter the intake has gradually decreased and reached to approximately 16 g/day in the 1990s, of which is defected approximately 5 g/day. The effects of the ingestion of cookies containing indigestible dextrin(ID-cookies) were investigated focusing on defecation and fecal condition in 39 healthy human subjects(12 men and 27 women). Each subject was daily given three pieces of ID-cookies (total: 26 g, ID: 5 g) for twenty days, and compared with a non-ingestion period. Fecal volume and the frequency of defecation in the group of tend to constipate were significantly increased by the cookies-ingestion ( p < 0.05 ). Fecal conditions such as shape, smell and feeling after defecation were improved by self-judgement in all subjects. These results demonstrated that the ingestion of cookies containing indigestible dextrin improved defecation and fecal condition of healty human subjects with a tendency to be constipated.