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INTRODUCTION:Consumption of green kiwifruit is known to relieve constipation. Previous studies have also reported improvements in gastrointestinal (GI) comfort. We investigated the effect of consuming green kiwifruit on GI function and comfort.METHODS:Participants included healthy controls (n = 63), patients with functional constipation (FC, n = 60), and patients with constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C, n = 61) randomly assigned to consume 2 green kiwifruits or psyllium (7.5 g) per day for 4 weeks, followed by a 4-week washout, and then the other treatment for 4 weeks. The primary outcome was the number of complete spontaneous bowel movements (CSBM) per week. Secondary outcomes included GI comfort which was measured using the GI symptom rating scale, a validated instrument. Data (intent-to-treat) were analyzed as difference from baseline using repeated measures analysis of variance suitable for AB/BA crossover design.RESULTS:Consumption of green kiwifruit was associated with a clinically relevant increase of ≥ 1.5 CSBM per week (FC; 1.53, P < 0.0001, IBS-C; 1.73, P = 0.0003) and significantly improved measures of GI comfort (GI symptom rating scale total score) in constipated participants (FC, P < 0.0001; IBS-C, P < 0.0001). No significant adverse events were observed.DISCUSSION:This study provides original evidence that the consumption of a fresh whole fruit has demonstrated clinically relevant increases in CSBM and improved measures of GI comfort in constipated populations. Green kiwifruits are a suitable dietary treatment for relief of constipation and associated GI comfort.

AimCaregiver burden is known to negatively affect a partner's health. Given the important role of physical and mental stress in mortality, a higher caregiver burden might be associated with an increased incidence of fatal events. However, previous studies of the effects of the partner's caregiving on mortality have shown inconsistent results. Thus, the purpose of the present longitudinal study was to determine if there is an association between a spouse's functional disability and mortality in the older Japanese population.MethodsA baseline survey was carried out with 7598 participants in 2006. Information on the date of functional disability, death or emigration was retrieved from the Ohsaki City government. Functional disability was defined as receiving a certification for long‐term care insurance in Japan. After a follow‐up period of a maximum of 87 months, 1316 of the participants died and Cox regression analysis with adjustment for confounding factors was used to assess mortality after the incidence of functional disability in a spouse.ResultsThe multivariate adjusted hazard ratio for mortality was 1.78 (95% confidence interval 1.52–2.08, P < 0.01) in those whose spouses had functional disabilities compared with those with spouses who did not have functional disabilities. The mortality was consistently higher, irrespective of age group or sex.ConclusionsThese results imply that caregiver burden might increase stress responses and lead to increased mortality; therefore, enhancement of support systems, including long‐term care, housing and livelihood support services, for those with disability and their spouses might be important for preventing deaths. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 774–779.