Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30029461›Full record

Trial reportNutrients2018

Short-Term Daily Intake of Polydextrose Fiber Does Not Shorten Intestinal Transit Time in Constipated Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Peter I Duncan, Catherine F Enters-Weijnen, Nashmil Emami, Peter McLean, Tiago Nunes, Maurice Beaumont, Rafael Crabbe, Kevin Whelan, S Mark Scott, Niek J deWit and 3 more

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Nutrients, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 24% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. [Seoul Consensus on Clinical Practice Guidelines for Functional Constipation].The Korean journal of gastroenterology = Taehan Sohwagi Hakhoe chi · 2025
    Guideline
  2. Pooled it
  3. Trial
  4. Review
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.

Peter I DuncanNestlé Research Center, 1000 Lausanne, Switzerland. peter.duncan@rdls.nestle.com.
Catherine F Enters-WeijnenDepartment of Epidemiology, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, UMC Utrecht, 3508 GA Utrecht, The Netherlands. c.f.weijnen@umcutrecht.nl.
Nashmil EmamiClinical Development Unit, Nestlé Research Center, 1000 Lausanne, Switzerland. nashmil.emami@rdls.nestle.com.
Peter McLeanNestlé Research Center, 1000 Lausanne, Switzerland. peter.mclean@takeda.com.
Tiago NunesNestlé Research Center, 1000 Lausanne, Switzerland. tiago.alvesnunes@nestle.com.
Maurice BeaumontClinical Development Unit, Nestlé Research Center, 1000 Lausanne, Switzerland. maurice.beaumont@rdls.nestle.com.ORCID 0000-0003-0763-3444
Rafael CrabbeClinical Development Unit, Nestlé Research Center, 1000 Lausanne, Switzerland. raf.crabbe57@gmail.com.
Kevin WhelanDepartment of Nutritional Sciences, King's College London, London SE1 9NH, UK. kevin.whelan@kcl.ac.uk.
S Mark ScottThe Centre for Trauma and Surgery and GI Physiology Unit, The Blizard Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 1BB, UK. m.scott@qmul.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0002-7997-1533
Niek J deWitDepartment of Primary Care, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, UMC Utrecht, 3508 GA Utrecht, The Netherlands. n.j.dewit@umcutrecht.nl.
Teunis WeitsDepartment of Radiology, Diakonessenhuis Utrecht, 3582 KE Utrecht, The Netherlands. teunisweits@gmail.com.
Gabriela BergonzelliNestlé Research Center, 1000 Lausanne, Switzerland. gabriela.bergonzelli@rdls.nestle.com.
Diederick E GrobbeeDepartment of Epidemiology, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, UMC Utrecht, 3508 GA Utrecht, The Netherlands. d.e.grobbee@umcutrecht.nl.
Nestlé (Switzerland) · CHUniversity Medical Center Utrecht · NLDiakonessenhuis hospital · NLKing's College London · GBQueen Mary University of London · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Chronic constipation (CC) remains a common gastrointestinal (GI) disorder that conveys a substantial healthcare burden. Expert guidelines recommend increasing fiber intake, yet the clinical evidence to support this needs strengthening for specific fibers. The aim was to evaluate changes in intestinal transit time and GI symptoms in CC patients who consumed polydextrose. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 128 adults with CC received 8 g or 12 g polydextrose, or placebo, daily for 4 weeks. Transit time, as primary outcome, was assessed by radiopaque marker distribution after 2-weeks intervention. Bowel habits, GI symptoms and quality of life (QOL) were assessed by questionnaire, including the Patient-Assessment of Constipation (PAC) Symptoms (SYM), and PAC-QOL. Following 2-weeks intervention, no reduction was seen in transit time in any group and following 2- or 4-weeks intervention, no improvements were seen in stool frequency or consistency in any group. After 2-weeks intervention with 8 g/day polydextrose an improvement was seen in the PAC-SYM rectal score (

Indexed as

Dietary SupplementsGastrointestinal TransitAbdominal PainAdultAgedConstipationDietary FiberDouble-Blind MethodFemaleGlucansHumansIntention to Treat AnalysisIntestinesMaleMiddle AgedPatient DropoutsDietary FiberGlucanspolydextroseadultconstipationfiberintestinal functionintestinal transitpatient-reported outcomepolydextroserandomized controlled trial

Identifiers

PMID30029461
PMCPMC6073956
OpenAlexW2884597562

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.