Gut bacteria may hold the key to constipation relief

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Chinese adults who met the Rome III diagnostic criteria and were aged ≥20 years; 2. patients with chronic constipation (duration of more than 6 months, with less than 3 bowel movements per week and/or Bristol Scale Type 1 and 2); 3. patients in whom loose stools were rare without the use of laxatives; 4. The criteria for irritable bowel syndrome were insufficient; 5. patients that could complete the study according to the requirements of the trial protocol; 6. patients that had signed the informed consent form; 7. the study participants (including male subjects) had no fertility plans within 14 days before screening, and would voluntarily take effective contraceptive measures within 6 months after the end of the trial. Only those who met all of the above conditions could be selected. \- Exclusion Criteria: (1) Those who took items with similar functions to the test subjects in the short term, which may have affected their judgment of the results; (2) those who regularly used drugs that affect bowel habits; (3) patients who changed their diet during the study (such as regularly using a high-fiber diet, according to the recommended food score (RFS)); (4) those who were allergic to probiotics or the ingredients used in this study, those with severe immunodeficiency, or those with serious psychological or psychiatric diseases; (5) women who were pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant; (6) those who suffered from diseases that may cause secondary constipation, such as diabetes, thyroid disease, Alzheimer's disease, severe metabolic diseases, malignant tumors, and severe lesions of important organs (cardiovascular, lung, liver, kidney, etc.); (7) those who had used antibiotics in the two weeks prior; (8) those who did not consume the test samples as required, or were not followed up on time, resulting in uncertainty of efficacy; (9) those who had participated in another clinical trial within one month before enrollment; (10) subjects who were judged by other researchers to be unsuitable for participation. Those who met any of the above conditions were not selected. \-