"Pasteurized Yogurt Consumption to Alleviate Constipation: A Systematic" by Nalla Srinivasarao, Jayashankar Erukkambattu et al.
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Manipal Journal of Medical Sciences

Abstract

Introduction Constipation, prevalent globally across all age groups, often leads to medication use, with symptoms recurring after stopping the medication. Distressing functional constipation caused by lifestyle issues can be treated with simple dietary changes, mostly studied with high-fiber diets. Yogurt, proven beneficial for diarrhoea, is explored here for its effects on constipation. Objectives To assess the feasibility of using yogurt as a dietary supplement for the management of constipation in various health-related conditions. Methods This review followed PRISMA guidelines, searching PubMed, SCOPUS, Central Cochrane Registry of Controlled Trials, and ScienceDirect. Only randomized controlled trials testing yogurt for constipation were included, other study types were excluded. Details collected included study authors, publication year, country, study type, participants, sample size, age, sex, inclusion/exclusion criteria, comorbidities, intervention details, outcomes, and follow-up. The JBI critical appraisal tool was used to assess the risk of bias. Results Our search strategy yielded 211 studies. After screening and applying inclusion criteria, we included three articles in our review, encompassing a total of 1,459 subjects, mostly women. All studies showed significant improvement in constipation, with some focusing on prevention in healthy subjects and overall improvement in quality of life. However, meta-analysis could not be performed due to differences in bacterial strains used in the yogurt and varying treatment durations. Conclusion Consuming yogurt may alleviate constipation symptoms and prevent its occurrence, thereby enhancing overall quality of life, potentially making it a dietary necessity. Further studies are needed to validate yogurt's beneficial role in constipation across diverse population groups, employing standardized bacterial strains and longer shelf-life pasteurized yogurt.

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