Mo Liya, Ma Kaiyang, Li Ying, Song Jiangfeng, Song Qiqi, Wang Ling
Department of General Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Department of Chinese Medicine, Suzhou Vocational Health College, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Front Nutr. 2025 Mar 24;12:1550880. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1550880. eCollection 2025.
Functional constipation is a common gastrointestinal health issue among the aging population. Dietary fiber supplementation is widely recognized as a first-line strategy for constipation. However, the effectiveness of dietary fiber in practical applications remains unsatisfactory, and dietary fibers from different sources are believed to possess varying physiological activities in alleviating constipation. Burdock root is a vegetable rich in dietary fiber. In this study, loperamide was used to induce functional constipation in aged rats. Doses of 3 mg/kg·bw·day and 1.5 mg/kg·bw·day of dietary fiber from burdock root were used to intervene in functional constipation in aged rats. Research indicated that dietary fiber from burdock root enhanced intestinal motility to ameliorate functional constipation in aging rats. This effect may involve several mechanisms, including repairing the intestinal barrier, regulating intestinal hormones, and providing anti-inflammation and antioxidation. Our findings provide a theoretical basis for the potential mechanism by which burdock root dietary fiber can ameliorate functional constipation. It is expected to serve as a natural functional food to combat functional constipation in the aging population.
功能性便秘是老年人群中常见的胃肠道健康问题。补充膳食纤维被广泛认为是治疗便秘的一线策略。然而，膳食纤维在实际应用中的效果仍不尽人意，且不同来源的膳食纤维在缓解便秘方面被认为具有不同的生理活性。牛蒡根是一种富含膳食纤维的蔬菜。在本研究中，用洛哌丁胺诱导老年大鼠出现功能性便秘。采用3 mg/kg·bw·天和1.5 mg/kg·bw·天剂量的牛蒡根膳食纤维干预老年大鼠的功能性便秘。研究表明，牛蒡根膳食纤维可增强肠道蠕动，改善老年大鼠的功能性便秘。这种作用可能涉及多种机制，包括修复肠道屏障、调节肠道激素以及提供抗炎和抗氧化作用。我们的研究结果为牛蒡根膳食纤维改善功能性便秘的潜在机制提供了理论依据。有望作为一种天然功能性食品来对抗老年人群的功能性便秘。
