14/10/2025
Eating several kiwi fruit a day can help relieve constipation and is a better starting point than worrying about a high-fibre diet, according to new guidance for doctors on the condition.
The advice says drinking water high in minerals is better for constipation than tap water, and magnesium oxide supplements are good for improving symptoms.
Researchers from King’s College London, who produced the guidance by examining all available evidence, said there are many more options for getting things moving than the standard advice to “just have more fibre in your diet”.
Constipation that doesn’t go away affects one in 10 people and can have a major impact on someone’s quality of life.
Up until now, guidance for doctors treating patients with constipation has been limited and outdated, and focused on advice to increase dietary fibre and water intake, say the researchers.
The new recommendations are based on evidence from 75 clinical trials - all those available - which have been analysed by a panel of experts.
Prof Kevin Whelan, senior research author and professor of dietetics at KCL, said the new guidance “marks a promising step towards empowering health professionals and their patients to manage constipation through diet”.
He said this meant people suffering from constipation could now access up-to-date advice to help improve their symptoms, wellbeing and quality of life.
The British Dietetic Association, which funded the project to produce the new guidelines, said they were an excellent resource for dietitians, doctors and nurses, and supported “a more diet-focused and evidence-based approach to the management of chronic constipation”.
The research and the new guidelines are published in the Journal of Human Nutrition & Dietetics.
