Consumption Behavior for “Foods for Specified Health Use” and Improvement of Constipation by Feeding Wheat-Bran Cereal in Young Women

Abstract

In recent year, it has suggested that Japanese young women have increasingly been suffering from constipation .Thiis study was performed to clarify the consumption behavior for Foods for Specified Health Use (FOSHU) ,health foods and nutritional supplements, and the effects of wheat bran cereal on bowel movement in female students . A survey in consumptions of FOSHU and others was conducted on 578 students who were divided into two groups, non-constipating group (one time per day in defecation) and constipating tendency group (less than one time per 2 days and irregular). Half of the students have known the name of FOSHU, while more than 90% have known the health foods and nutritional supplements. In FOSHU, foods for control of bowel function have been consumed by 15% of subjects, especially highly by constipating tendency group. On the other hand , foods for lean body and beauty in the health foods and vitamins or minerals in the nutritional supplements were frequently used. Female students learning in dietetics courses have used FOSHU and others to understand their characteristics . In next experiment, we have determined the improvement in constipation by being fed the wheat bran cereal to 52 subjects selected from the students. The subjects were divided into the non-constipating group and the constipating group and were given the wheat bran cereal or placebo cereal for a week in a cross-over manner. The fecal volume, the frequency of defecation and feeling after defecation were significantly improved by feeding the bran cereal in all subjects and constipating group, while only the frequency of defecation was improved in non-constipating group . Although significant difference in dietary fiber intake was observed between the wheat-bran cereal period and the placebo cereal period, no significant difference in other nutrient intakes. These results showed that the ingestion of wheat bran effectively supplemented dietary fiber and improved the bowel habits in female students .