Table 2. Changes in defecation frequency, stool volume, and stool quality.
| Pre-observation | Placebo | Dose level 1 | Dose level 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (a) Defecation frequency and stool volume | |||||
| Defecation days (days/week) | 3.70 ± 0.56 | 4.33 ± 0.97 | 4.52 ± 1.03 | 4.61 ± 1.15 | |
| Frequency of defecation (times/week) | 4.02 ± 0.66 | 4.76 ± 1.09 | 5.06 ± 1.25 | 5.41 ± 1.80* | |
| Stool volume (units/week) a | 6.92 ± 3.73 | 8.77 ± 6.32 | 9.56 ± 6.22* | 10.52 ± 6.90** | |
| (b) Stool quality | |||||
| Color | 2.11 ± 0.33 | 2.02 ± 0.34 | 1.98 ± 0.29 | 2.03 ± 0.23 | |
| Smell | 3.28 ± 0.80 | 3.15 ± 0.71 | 3.06 ± 0.70 | 3.10 ± 0.50 | |
| Sense of defecation completeness | 2.21 ± 0.32 | 1.98 ± 0.37 | 1.98 ± 0.43 | 1.95 ± 0.34 | |
Values are means ± SD.
a Units show the stool volume as the number of medium size chicken eggs by visual estimation.
The Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed significant differences compared with placebo intake: *p<0.05; **p<0.01.