Cellulose added to meals and stool weight in women
What it found
In women with normal bowel habits, adding cellulose to meals did not bring stool consistency up to the ideal level.
Women with constipation saw no change in stool weight or consistency.
What they found
Studies in people
Stool weight fell
In the normal defecation group, mean stool weight was 222.9 g per day in the first week and then decreased.
Fiber raised stool weight
When fiber intake reached 20 to 24 g per day in the third and fourth weeks, stool weight rose above 150 g.
Consistency stayed below ideal
Even with the extra cellulose, stool consistency stayed lower than the optimal consistency of around 300 g cm(-2).
No change with constipation
The constipated group did not show these changes in stool weight or consistency.
What the authors conclude
- They report that cellulose supplementation changed stool weight in the normal defecation group but not in the constipated group.
- They note that stool consistency remained below the optimal level even with the added cellulose.
How it was done
About 26 women were split into a normal defecation group and a constipation group. For four weeks they ate ordinary meals, then experimental meals, then the same meals with 4 g and then 8 g of cellulose added. Stool weight, water content, consistency and how often they went were measured.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- The study was small, with about 26 women, so the results may not apply to everyone.
- It only looked at stool weight and consistency, not at other health effects.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Hirosaki University School of Medicine, Japan
The paper
- Title
- Effects of cellulose supplementation on fecal consistency and fecal weight
- Type
- Clinical trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Danjo K, Sakamoto J, Iwane S, et al (2008). Effects of cellulose supplementation on fecal consistency and fecal weight. Digestive diseases and sciences. doi:10.1007/s10620-007-9938-6PubMed 17763952DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error