Ej. Zarling et al., EFFECT OF DIETARY OAT AND SOY FIBER ON BOWEL FUNCTION AND CLINICAL TOLERANCE IN A TUBE-FEEDING DEPENDENT POPULATION, Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 13(6), 1994, pp. 565-568
Objective: The role of fiber in tube feeding products has not clearly
been defined. While some studies suggest that fiber can increase stool
weight and bowel transit time in acutely ill patients, there is less
information in stable patients receiving chronic enteral nutritional s
upport. Design: Using a crossover study design, we investigated the ef
fect of 28.8 g/day of a 50% soy and 50% oat fiber combination in 10 me
dically stable residents of a chronic care facility. Subjects were ran
domized to initially receive 10 days of either Isocal HN or Ultracal,
which are identical in composition except Ultracal contains 14.4 g/L o
f fiber. After the first 10-day study, subjects underwent a washout fo
llowed by a second 10-day study using the other product. Fecal dye mar
kers were used to identify appropriate collection times. Results: Fibe
r significantly increased the number of bowel movements per day (0.9 /- 0.4 vs 0.5 a 0.2, p < 0.05) and fecal weights (57 +/- 31 vs 32 +/-
25 g/day, p < 0.05). Fiber also caused a significant increase in fecal
nitrogen output (110 +/- 65 vs 75 +/- 74 mg/day, p < 0.05) and fecal
energy (141 +/- 73 vs 76 +/- 62 kcal/day, p < 0.05). Fiber did not aff
ect fecal moisture, gastric emptying, or intestinal transit time. Conc
lusion: We conclude that the addition of a combination of soy and oat
fiber to tube feeding material is well tolerated, and promotes regular
bowel movements without altering the rate of gastric emptying or inte
stinal transit time.