Effects of regularly consuming dietary fibre rich soluble cocoa products on bowel habits in healthy subjects: a free-living, two-stage, randomized, crossover, single-blind intervention

Table 7 Effects of consuming the soluble cocoa products were assessed using a symptom related to bowel habits questionnaire (Mean values and standard error of mean (SEM), n = 44)

	Flatulence		Bloating		Stool consistency		Ease of movement		Abdominal Pain
Stage	Mean	SEM	Mean	SEM	Mean	SEM	Mean	SEM	Mean	SEM
Non-cocoa	2.14^a	0.09	1.08	0.11	2.36	0.07	1.15	0.11	0.51	0.08
Cocoa product A	2.07^a	0.14	1.00	0.17	2.36	0.13	1.11	0.16	0.46	0.13
Cocoa product B	2.32^a	0.14	1.11	0.15	2.18	0.10	1.16	0.16	0.52	0.10
	p = 0.019		N.S.		N.S.		N.S.		N.S.

A 5-point scale was used to answer where 0 indicates no gas, no bloating, watery stool consistency, easy to pass and no pain, respectively; 5 indicates, severe, hard or difficult where appropriate. Effects were evaluated using generalized estimating equations with repeated measures (stage) and one fixed factor (cocoa product) were applied. Where there was a significant main effect, post hoc Bonferroni tests were used to analyse differences between means.

ISSN: 1743-7075