Trial reportThe journal of nutrition, health & aging2010
The status of vitamins B6, B12, folate, and of homocysteine in geriatric home residents receiving laxatives or dietary fiber.
Trial report in The journal of nutrition, health & aging, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 43 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of Oats (Frontiers in nutrition · 2021Pooled it
- New Insights into a Conceptual Bionic Colonic Bioreactor: A Model, 'Probiotics in Human Colon', Showing How Probiotics Alleviate Constipation from a Bioprocess Engineering Perspective.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Evaluating the link between the dietary intake of vitamin B and constipation: a population-based study.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Article
- Do Bioactive Food Compound withNutrients · 2021Review
- Nutritional Interventions for Elderly and Considerations for the Development of Geriatric Foods.Current aging science · 2019Review
- Vitamin B6 deficiency and diseases in elderly people--a study in nursing homes.BMC geriatrics · 2013Article
- Hyperhomocysteinemia decreases intestinal motility leading to constipation.American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology · 2012Article
- Aging of the human metaorganism: the microbial counterpart.Age (Dordrecht, Netherlands) · 2012Review
- Water-soluble vitamins in people with low glomerular filtration rate or on dialysis: a review.Seminars in dialysisReview
- Rapid resolution liquid chromatography method development and validation for simultaneous determination of homocysteine, vitamins B(6), B(9), and B(12) in human serum.Indian journal of pharmacologyArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundVitamin B12 deficiency as a digestive disorder and constipation as a gastro motility disorder are common in the elderly. Laxative treatment is often chosen without regard for gut health.
objectiveTo investigate whether the addition of oat-bran to the common oral diet for 12 weeks is able to reduce constipation and laxative use and improve gut health. It is assumed that this will lead to improved plasma levels of vitamins B6, B12, folate, and of homocysteine in nursing home residents.
methodsA controlled, parallel intervention trial. 30 frail patients with multiple chronic diseases, aged 57-98 years, receiving laxative therapy were included. Patients were randomized into a fiber (n=15) and a control group (n=15). The intervention group received 5.2g/d oat-bran for 84 days mixed into the daily common meals. The control group received the ward's habitual diet. Food intake and laxative use were documented and blood samples (on day 01, day 42 and day 84) were collected. Vitamin B12 and folate were analyzed by radioimmunoassay, B6 and homocysteine by RP-HPLC with fluorescence detection, in addition to the routine lab test of albumin and CRP.
resultsIn the fiber group, the intervention was well tolerated and laxative use decreased significantly (p < 0.001). In the control group, plasma B12 decreased faster (p < 0.05). In both groups, B6 and folate status remained unchanged. Plasma homocysteine decreased in both groups (p < 0.05). General mean energy intake was low (4861.4 kJ/d).
conclusionOat-bran helps to improve constipation management and B12 bioavailability in elderly, with multiple chronic diseases who live in nursing homes.
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