Fig. 1.

Schematic diagram of the study flow (based on CONSORT 2010 guidelines). Legend: GI, gastrointestinal; PAC-QOL, Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life; PSS, Perceived Stress Scale. ^a Gastrointestinal symptoms were assessed by asking the volunteers to grade daily in the evening the average severity over the previous 24 h on a 5-point scale from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely) for the following 5 GI characteristics: bloating/distension, passage of gas, GI rumbling, feeling of fullness and abdominal discomfort