Pea Hull Fiber Improves Bowel Regularity in Both a Healthy and Constipated Rat Model

Constipation is an area of concern in people’s health. Consequently, health care practitioners recommend lifestyle changes including increasing fiber intake and exercise. This study examined the effect of pea hull fiber (PHF) on loperamide-induced constipation in rats. The rats were fed either a vehicle diet or a diet enriched with PHF. The groups were divided into either a saline or loperamide injection to induce sub-acute constipation. Fecal Pellet Output (FPO) was measured for 3 days. In the saline-treated rats, PHF increased wet and dry fecal weights on day 1 and 2, and increased FPO on day 2 compared to the saline-treated rats on the vehicle diet. In the loperamide model, PHF increased FPO, had higher wet and dry fecal weights on day 1 compared to the loperamide-treated vehicle diet rats. Addition of PHF into the diet may help improve intestinal transit in a loperamide-induced constipation rat model.