Constipation is a common health problem for older adults residing in long-term care facilities. The
prevalence of constipation in these residents was estimated to be 50%~80%. Treatments for constipation include pharmacological and nonpharmacological therapies. Pharmacological therapy, however, will increase physical burdens and induce the medication interactions. Use of enema may cause
uncomfortableness and the trauma of colon perforation. Thus, non-pharmacological therapy may be better for older persons with constipation.
Supplementation with probiotics is considered to be an effective noninvasive and non-pharmacological therapy for constipation. Thus, the present study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of probiotics (Lactobacillus casei Shirota) for treating elderly with chronic constipation. The main purposes of this study were to assess the prevalence of constipation in elderly residents of a private long-term care center and to evaluate the impact of probiotic supplementation on the defecation status.
Forty-one elderly subjects were recruited from a long-term care center for senior citizens in Changhua. A bottle of yogurt drink (250 ml) was supplied to each of the subjects daily for a 14-day period. The
constipation conditions and relevant factors of the subjects were compared before and after the yogurt drink intervention.
Results indicated that supplementation with yogurt drink for 14 days significantly increased the frequency and intensity of bowel movement, improved the consistency of feces and reduced the amount of
medications. It is, therefore, concluded that dietary supplementation of probiotics in the form of yogurt drink might be an effective adjuvant treatment for elderly constipation.
