The Effects of Agave Fructans in a Functional Food Consumed by Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Constipation: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Brenda Hildeliza Camacho-Díaz, Martha Lucía Arenas-Ocampo, Perla Osorio-Díaz, Antonio Ruperto Jiménez-Aparicio, Guadalupe Monserrat Alvarado-Jasso, Edén Valfré Saavedra-Briones, Miguel Ángel Valdovinos-Díaz, Elisa Gómez-Reyes

Journal: Nutrients 2023;15(16):3526

PMID: 37630717

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Plain Language Summary

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), also known as irritable or spasmodic colon, is a prevalent condition frequently encountered in gastroenterology clinics. It is a chronic functional disorder of the gastrointestinal tract with an unknown underlying cause. The aim of this study was to assess the short-term effect of functional food with agave fructans supplementation on the clinical symptoms, quality of life, anxiety, depression, and stool frequency in patients with constipation-predominant IBS. This study was a prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the two groups: control or experimental. Results showed that the placebo group displayed a 44% rate of response, compared to a rate of 83% for constipation improvement in the first 15 days of treatment. In fact, the frequency of faecal evacuation increased to 12 per week. Furthermore, patients’ anxiety and depression levels were modified with respect to the baseline values in both evaluated groups, and the quality of life in the experimental group was significantly improved compared to the placebo in all specific domains. Authors conclude that further studies are needed with a focus on the evaluation of the intestinal microbiota and a possible description of the mechanism of action of the tested product.

Abstract

Irritable bowel syndrome displays three different subtypes: constipation (IBS-C), diarrhea (IBS-D), and mixed (IBS-M). Treatment with dietary fiber is used, with consideration given both to the chemical composition of the fiber and to the different subtypes of IBS. The IBS-D subtype is usually treated with a low-FODMAPs diet, whereas the IBS-C subtype suggests prebiotics and probiotics to promote microbiota restoration. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of employing agave fructans as the soluble fiber of a jelly (Gelyfungastro) containing 8 g per serving in the IBS-C group (n = 50), using a randomized, double-blind, time-limited trial for four weeks. We evaluated changes in the frequency and types of bowel movements through the Bristol scale, and the improvement of the condition was evaluated using quality of life (IBS-QOL) and anxiety-depression (HADS) scales. The main results were that the number of bowel movements increased by more than 80%, with at least one stool per day from fifteen days onwards, without a laxative effect for the group treated. Finally, the quality of life with the prebiotic jelly was significantly improved compared to the placebo in all specific domains, in addition to significantly reducing anxiety and depression.

Address: Centro de Desarrollo de Productos Bióticos, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, San Isidro, Yautepec 62731, Morelos, Mexico.; Centro Nacional de Tecnología y Seguridad Alimentaria (CNTA), Crta-Na134 km 53, 31570 San Adrián, Navarra, Spain.; Facultad de Nutrición, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Vista Hermosa, Cuernavaca 62290, Morelos, Mexico.; Laboratorio de Motilidad Gastrointestinal del Departamento de Gastroenterología, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Tlalpan, Ciudad de México 14080, Mexico.; Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Campus Ciudad de México, Calle del Puente 222, Col Ejidos de Huipulco, Tlalpan, Ciudad de México 14380, Mexico.

DOI: 10.3390/nu15163526