A Randomized Double-blind Placebo-controlled Trial on the Effect of Magnesium Oxide in Patients With Chronic Constipation
Mori S
Published in Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility
Methodology
Randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial; magnesium oxide 0.5 g three times daily or placebo for 28 days; primary endpoint overall improvement over 4 weeks, with secondary endpoints of spontaneous and complete spontaneous bowel movements, stool form, colonic transit time, abdominal symptoms and quality of life.
Key Findings
34 Japanese women with mild to moderate chronic constipation were randomised to magnesium oxide 0.5 g three times daily or placebo for 28 days, with 33 analysed. The primary endpoint of overall improvement was met by 70.6% on magnesium oxide versus 25.0% on placebo (p = 0.015). Magnesium oxide significantly improved spontaneous bowel movements (p = 0.002), Bristol stool form (p < 0.001), colonic transit time (p < 0.001) and constipation-related quality of life (p = 0.003), but did not significantly change the rate of complete spontaneous bowel movements (p = 0.76).
Conclusions
Our placebo-controlled study demonstrated that MgO was effective treatment for improving defecation status and shortened CTT in Japanese CC patients with mild to moderate symptoms.
Limitations
Small single-centre trial of 34 women with mild to moderate symptoms over only 4 weeks; the stricter outcome of complete spontaneous bowel movements did not improve, and findings may not generalise to men or to severe constipation.
Supplements Studied
Our placebo-controlled study demonstrated that MgO was effective treatment for improving defecation status and shortened CTT in Japanese CC patients with mild to moderate symptoms.
Related Health Concerns
Study Details
Access Study
This information is for educational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional before starting any supplement regimen.