Constipation diet therapy

The most important aspect of the therapy for constipation for the majority of patients is dietary modification to increase the amount of fiber consumed. Patients should be advised to include at least 10 g of crude fiber in their daily diets. Fruits, vegetables, and cereals have the highest fiber content. 

Symptom patterns those with alternating constipation and diarrhoea and predominant constipation may benefit from high fibre diets (although excess fibre may bloat). Those with predominant diarrhoea may require simple peripheral opiate agonists (loperamide), but may also be helped by raised fibre intake. Pain may respond in part to explanation that it does not indicate serious illness and in part to spasmolytic therapy with anticholinergic agents which... 

Bile-acid-binding resin results in an interruption of the eiiterohepatic circulation of bile salts and in their iitcreased excretion in the feces. This drug therapy can pnsduce a 20-25" decrease in plasma LDL-cholesterol. A side effect of cholestyramine is constipation, but this problem can be relieved by a high fiber diet. 

Structure/function claims state that a product may affect the structure or function of the body (e.g., calcium builds strong bones, antioxidants maintain cell integrity, fiber maintains bowel regularity), but may not claim that a therapy can prevent or cure a disease (e.g., alleviates constipation). Traditional nutrients refers to vitamins and minerals considered essential to the diet and/or to correct a classical nutritional deficiency disease. For example, foods containing vitamin C to correct scurvy or vitamin D to alleviate rickets are not functional foods. However, soy, w hich contains soy protein and is associated with a reduced cardiovascular risk, is a functional food. 

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