Glucomannan may help treat childhood constipation. A study involved 46 chronically constipated children, each of whom was treated with either glucomannan taken as 100 mg/kg body weight daily (maximal 5 g/day) with 50 mL fluid/500 mg or matching placebo for 4 weeks. Among the 31 children who completed the study (average age was 7 years old), researchers found that glucomannan was more effective in alleviating constipation with 45% of children successfully treated (vs 13% for placebo). Glucomannan also appeared to reduce abdominal pain. (8)
Prunes and Constipation
Constipation and natural remedies for constipation includes prunes. Prunes were found to be safe, effective, and palatable for constipation. Attaluri A, et al found that prunes are more effective for constipation than psyllium (brand name Metamucil) in single-blind, randomized cross-over study. The authors compared 50 grams of prunes with 11 grams of psyllium and found that symptoms and straining were not different between the 2 groups over 8 weeks, but the number of bowel movements and the softness of the stool was better in the prune group than the psyllium group. (15)
