A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Kiwifruit’s Impact on Functional Constipation

Abstract

Introduction: Kiwifruit is rich in nutrients and fibers that benefit the digestive system. Despite various clinical investigations on the efficacy of kiwifruit for constipation, conflicting results are present. Therefore, the purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the effectiveness of kiwifruit in treating functional constipation. Methods: The study’s main goal is to quantify the frequency of defecation. Randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) were explored from four databases, including Cochrane Library, ProQuest, Science Direct, and MEDLINE, with Google Scholar as an additional database for hand-searching purposes. The Risk of Bias 2 (RoB2) and Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) tools were employed to evaluate the certainty of evidence. The meta-analysis was carried out using RevMan. Results: After critically appraising the individual articles, the study includes five randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The results indicated that defecation frequency improved considerably, with a p-value of 0.0008 and a weighted mean difference (WMD) of 0.07. However, the GRADE analysis showed low-quality evidence. Conclusions: Kiwifruit may be a secure and efficient treatment for people with functional constipation. However, further high-quality clinical investigations are needed to confirm these results.