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 6 Effects of consuming the soluble cocoa products were studied using a subjective bowel function questionnaire (Mean values and standard error of mean (SEM), n = 44)

	Have diarrhoea		Urgency to go to toilet for BM		Consider myself constipated		Time to have BM* (min)
Stage	Mean	SEM	Mean	SEM	Mean	SEM	Mean	SEM
Non-cocoa	1.00^a	0.07	3.28	0.08	1.34^a	0.10	0.99^a	0.10
Cocoa product A	0.79^a	0.10	3.27	0.11	1.36^a	0.14	0.98^a	0.11
Cocoa product B	0.77^a	0.09	3.43	0.09	1.16^a	0.13	0.79^a	0.13
	p = 0.043		N.S.		p = 0.046		p = 0.016

BM, bowel movement. A 4-point scale was used to answer where 0 = never, 1 = rarely, 2 = sometimes, 3 = frequently and 4 = always.
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 also used to analyse differences between means. * Time to have BM = duration of defecation.

ISSN: 1743-7075