Dry Stool Weight Research Articles

Effect of wheat bran on bowel function and fecal calcium in older adults.

Seven healthy older volunteers participated in a 33-day study consisting of three sample collection periods, a 10-day control, and two 10-day experimental periods. Subjects consumed their usual self-selected diets throughout and a daily wheat bran supplement (30 g) during the two experimental periods. Food intake was recorded daily by subjects and accuracy and completeness checked daily by personal interview. Apparent calcium absorption decreased significantly from 22.1 +/- 5.6% (mean +/- SD) during the control to 8.6 +/- 5.2% during the second bran period. The wheat bran supplement significantly increased wet and dry stool weights but had no effect on stool moisture or defecation frequency. Gastrointestinal transit time of a dose of chromium decreased significantly, from 75 +/- 33 to 54 +/- 19 hr; of a dose of polyethylene glycol insignificantly, from 98 +/- 59 to 69 +/- 46 hr. Mean recovery of 21 doses of chromium of 98.7 +/- 5.0% verified that stool collection was complete. The results suggest that the ability of wheat bran to regulate bowel function in the apparently healthy older adult may be accompanied by increased fecal calcium losses similar to what has been reported for younger adults.

Determining Compliance With a Dietary Fiber Supplement<xref ref-type="fn" rid="FN2">2</xref>

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate possible ways to determine compliance with a dietary fiber supplement. A wheat bran supplement (30 g daily) significantly increased mean daily wet and dry stool weights (SW) in 7 adults, when compared to SW during an ad libitum low-fiber diet (paired t-test, P less than .01). Because unpaired data would be used during a clinical trial, distribution of the 7 ad libitum low-fiber mean SW observations was used to establish a reference distribution and an upper confidence limit against which the bran supplement SW could be compared. Only one of the seven bran supplement mean SW was above the confidence limit of the low-fiber period, independent of the number of days of collection (2-10) used to calculate the individual mean daily SW. Total fecal output over varying periods of time (2-10 days) suffered the same intersubject and intrasubject variability. Most (5-6) of the bran mean daily SW were above the group mean SW of the low-fiber period. However, this dose of bran was large enough to significantly decrease calcium absorption, and differences in SW produced by lower doses of wheat bran would probably not be as great. The bulk (greater than or equal to 80%) of a single dose of a fecal marker, chromium sesquioxide, which could be incorporated into a specific day's fiber supplement, was recovered in 5 days of excretion during the control period and in 4 days during the bran period. However, the blue color of the chromium before ingestion is clearly a negative feature. Another marker, polyethylene glycol, could not be recovered in excreta when transient time was 4 days or more. In a separate study, demonstration of very little overlap in the concentration of fecal neutral detergent fiber between the control and bran periods suggests that fecal fiber may be a marker of compliance with a fiber supplement.

Composition, intake, and excretion of fiber constituents

The role of fiber in human diet in preventing a number of chronic diseases has been a widely debated topic in recent years. The claim that populations at low risk for colon cancer generally consume a more fiber-rich diet than those at high risk, has been used to postulate a protective role for this group of substances. In this study we asked the question whether populations leading different dietary lifestyles and who are at varying risks for colon cancer show marked differences in their dietary and fecal profiles of various fiber components. Four study groups consisting of Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) pure vegetarians, SDA lacto-ovo vegetarians, SDA nonvegetarians, and a group of general population nonvegetarians were selected from the greater Los Angeles Basin area. Three-day composite diets, and stools were analyzed for neutral detergent fiber (NDF), hemi-cellulose, lignin, cellulose, cutin + silica, and pectin. The percentage composition and the daily intake and output of each of these components were computed for each population group. The dietary profile revealed a trend (not statistically significant) toward generally higher daily intake values among the vegetarian subgroups, neutral detergent fiber values in g/day: SDA pure vegetarians, 63.0 ± 7.9; SDA-lacto-ovo vegetarians, 55.8 ± 3.5; SDA nonvegetarians, 57.2 ± 3.5; general population nonvegetarians, 52.5 ± 4.9), lignin, cellulose, and pectin being the major contributors to this difference. In sharp contrast, in the stools, 24-h excretion values for NDF decreased steadily in the order, SDA-pure vegetarians, SDA-lacto-ovo vegetarians, SDA-nonvegetarians, and general population nonvegetarians (NDF values in stools in g/day: SDA-pure vegetarians, 13.8 ± 1.7; SDA-lacto-ovo vegetarians, 10.5 ± 0.8; SDA-nonvegetarians, 8.19 ± 0.7 and general population nonvegetarians, 5.05 ± 0.6). This decrease paralleled a similar drop in dry stool weight (bulk) of stools. The observations generally indicate that introduction of meat into the daily diet significantly enhances the ability of intestinal microorganisms to degrade fiber components, as reflected by the lower excretion of NDF and its constituents. From the results of the present study we conclude that under conditions of comparable intake of NDF the differences in fecal output of fiber components among the SDA and general population are a reflection of qualitative differences in the sources of plant fiber in the diet together with similar changes in microbial metabolism.

Fecal Porphyrin Abnormalities in a Features of Rotor's Patient with Featu Syndrome

Detailed porphyrin analysis and additional ultrastructural abnormalities of liver cells are described in a patient with features of Rotor's syndrome. Normal values of porphyrin precursors, delta-aminolevulinic acid and porphobilinogen, and porphyrins were found in plasma, urine, and erythrocytes. However, fecal porphyrin excretion was markedly increased to 406 micrograms/g dry stool weight (normal range less than 100 micrograms/g) constituted predominantly of protoporphyrin 225 micrograms/g (normal range less than 76 micrograms/g),. with a smaller increase in coproporphyrin III of 56 micrograms/g (normal range less than 20 micrograms/g). Increased fecal porphyrin excretion in this patient appears to reflect abnormal hepatic porphyrin excretion. Electron microscopic examination of liver biopsy tissue showed new abnormalities of peroxisomes and mitochondria. The predominant abnormality of mitochondria was "bleb" deformation of the outer membrane and these changes may reflect abnormal hepatic mitochondrial porphyrin metabolism. The significance of abnormalities involving peroxisomes is uncertain. Increased fecal porphyrin excretion may be a feature of Rotor's syndrome that requires further study.

Apparent digestibility of neutral detergent fiber in elderly and young adults

These experiments assessed the ability of the neutral detergent fiber (NDF) method to remove starch and nitrogen from food NDF residues, and nitrogen and endogenous secretions from fecal NDF residues; and compared indices of bowel function, including apparent NDF digestibility, of nine elderly subjects to those of six young women. Subjects consumed similar, controlled "low fiber" diets containing foods typically eaten in the United States. Nitrogen and starch contents of food composite NDF were determined in NDF obtained by the hog alpha amylase modification of the Van Soest procedure, whereas the nitrogen content of fecal NDF was determined using NDF obtained by the unmodified procedure. The modified Van Soest method adequately removed nitrogen and starch from food NDF, but fecal NDF contained nitrogen. Both groups digested the majority of the NDF, 63 and 70% for the elderly and young subjects, respectively. Apparent fiber digestibility, which was measured several times in each subject, increased to 69 and 75% for the two groups, respectively, when a correction was made for the nitrogen in the fecal NDF. Mean gastrointestinal transit time and frequency of defecation of the two age groups were comparable, whereas mean daily wet and dry stool weights of the elderly were larger than those of the young women. These results suggest that the bowel of the elderly may function as well as that of the young adult.

Influence of refined cellulose on human bowel function and calcium and magnesium balance

The effect of cellulose purified from wood pulp on wet and dry stool weights, gastrointestinal transit time (TT), frequency of defecation, and calcium and magnesium balances was tested. Seven healthy women consumed a low fiber diet of constant composition (percentage of total kcal: 23% protein, 30% fat, 47% carbohydrate) and the same metabolically controlled diet to which 16 g of refined cellulose (Solka Floc) was added. Each diet was consumed for approximately one month. The neutral detergent fiber contents of the two diets were 9.5 and 23.5 g, respectively. Cellulose consumption significantly increased mean daily wet stool weight from 74.6 +/- 23.4 (SD) to 130.5 +/- 29.4 g, mean daily dry fecal weight from 19.1 +/- 4.2 to 39.5 +/- 7.7 g, and frequency of defecatin from 0.85 +/- 0.2 to 1.10 +/- 0.29/day. Cellulose effectively shortened TT of two subjects with initially slow TT (7 days), but mean TT of all subjects was not significantly affected when fiber was added to the diet. Fecal excretions of calcium and magnesium were significantly greater when the diet containing cellulose was fed, and only calcium balance was significantly more negative. These results suggest that moderate levels of refined cellulose adversely increased fecal losses of calcium and magnesium. All other indices of bowel function remained within normal ranges.

A study of bulking agents in elderly patients.

A study comparing the effects of bran and ispaghula in constipated elderly patients is described. Ispaghula and bran increased the wet and dry stool weight. There were no serious side-effects and no change in colonic pressures. The use of these bulking agents is shown to be better than the traditional use of laxatives in the elderly.

The interaction of dietary fibers and cholesterol upon the plasma lipids and lipoproteins, sterol balance, and bowel function in human subjects.

To identify any metabolic effects of dietary fiber upon cholesterol metabolism in man, six adult volunteer subjects were fed eucaloric cholesterol-free formula diets, with and without added dietary fiber for two 4-wk periods. A large quantity of dietary fiber was fed, some 60 g of plant cell wall material (or 16 g of crude fiber) derived from corn, beans, bran, pectin, and purified cellulose. This provided about five times the fiber intake of the typical American diet. The addition of fiber to the cholesterol-free diet did not change either the plasma cholesterol level (171+/-21 mg/dl, SEM, to 167+/-18) or the triglyceride (103+/-39 to 93+/-27 mg/dl). The excretion of both endogenous neutral steroids and bile acids were unchanged with fiber (505+/-41 to 636+/-75 mg/day and 194+/-23 to 266+/-47 mg/day, respectively.) However, total fecal steroid excretion was increased 699+/-29 to 902+/-64 mg/day, P < 0.025). With fiber, intestinal transit time was decreased (59+/-9 to 35+/-8 h, P < 0.005), and both the wet and dry stool weights were greatly increased.A second group of six subjects was fed similar diets containing 1,000 mg cholesterol derived from egg yolk. The addition of fiber to the 1,000-mg cholesterol diet did not alter either plasma cholesterol level (233+/-26 to 223+/-36 mg/dl) or triglyceride (102+/-19 to 83+/-11 mg/dl). The excretion of endogenous neutral steroids (618+/-84 to 571+/-59 mg/day), of bile acids (423+/-122 to 401+/-89 mg/day), and of total fecal steroids (1,041+/-175 to 972+/-111 mg/day) were unchanged by fiber. The absorption of dietary cholesterol was not altered when fiber was added to the 1,000-mg cholesterol diet (44.0+/-3.3 to 42.9+/-2.5%). A two-way analysis of variance utilizing both groups of subjects indicated a significant (P < 0.001) effect of dietary cholesterol upon the plasma cholesterol concentration. We concluded that a large quantity of dietary fiber from diverse sources had little or no effect upon the plasma lipids and sterol balance in man in spite of the fact that intestinal transit time and stool bulk changed greatly.

Bacteroides bacillemia. Sepsis for surgeons.

Bacteroides species are anaerobic, aero-intolerant, nonsporeforming, nonmotile, gram-negative bacilli that colonize the oropharynx, female genital tract, and large bowel, comprising 95% of the colonic bacterial population and 20% of the dry weight of stool. Bacteriologic identification of Bacteroides organisms is frequently difficult because they are fastidious, sometimes slow-growing, and often resemble Escherichia coli and other gram-negative bacilli morphologically. Specimens infected by Bacteroides organisms may contain many gram-negative rods on gram stain but show no growth on culture if not inoculated promptly into anaerobic media. Infections are often mixed and sometimes fail to yield Bacteroides organisms because of overgrowth by less fastidious bacteria. Commonly, the clinician first recognizes Bacteroides infection in his patient when the laboratory reports blood cultures positive. Accumulating experience suggests that the apparent incidence of bacillemia due to Bacteroides organisms is rising. In 1971 in the Mayo Clinic, Bacteroides was the second most common gramnegative bacillus isolated from