자일로올리고당을 함유한 설탕이 20대 여성의 변비 개선에 미치는 효과: 이중맹검 연구

Purpose: To investigate the effects of the intake of xylooligosaccharide-sugar mixture (XOS) on defecation frequency and symptoms in 56 young women (mean age of 22.1 years old) with constipation. Methods: Two experiments were conducted. In experiment 1, a randomized double-blind study was performed to evaluate the effect of 6 weeks' intake of 10 g sucrose containing 7% xylooligosaccharide or 10 g sucrose on constipation. In experiment 2, 24 g coffee mixture containing 12.8 g plant cream and 11.2 g xylooligosaccharide-sugar mixture was consumed by the subjects. During the study, the clinical efficacy was assessed by using a daily diary. The subjects indicated the number of frequencies they defecated in a day and the clinical symptom scores. Results: In experiment 1, the mean frequency of defecations was 2.07 in the pretreatment week and increased significantly to 4.05, 4.42, 4.84, 4.84, and 4.05 in weeks 2 to 6 of XOS intake, in comparison with the 3-3.67 with sucrose intake (sucrose, SUC). In experiment 2, the mean frequency of defecations significantly increased from 2.47 in the pretreatment week to 4.11-5.67 in weeks 1-6 of XOS intake. The occurrence of very loose or loose stools in the XOS group was significantly increased in weeks 5 and 6, compared with the pretreatment week and SUC group. XOS intake significantly alleviated the abdominal displeasure and feeling of residual stool leftness in weeks 2, 3, 5, and 6, while SUC did so in weeks 4 and 6 (p < 0.05). The coffee mixture containing xylooligosaccharide-sugar mixture reduced the abdominal displeasure and feeling of residual stool leftness from week 3 until the end of the experiment (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Our results suggest that xylooligosaccharide-sugar mixture intake was effective, without adverse effects, for the alleviation of constipation in the young women in this study. 본 연구는 자일로올리고당을 설탕에 혼합하여 변비를 앓고 있는 젊은 여성을 대상으로 변비개선효과를 확인하였다. 평균연령 22.1세인 젊은 여성 56명을 대상으로 실험 1에서는 설탕을 플라시보로 하는 이중맹검 임상연구를 통해 자일로올리고당 0.7 g이 함유된 설탕 10 g (n = 19명) 또는 설탕 10 g (n = 19명)을 블랙커피와 함께 복용하도록 하였고, 실험 2에서는 자일로올리고당 0.4 g 함유한 설탕 5.6 g과 1.6 g의 커피, 4.8 g의 식물성 크림이 함유된 커피믹스를 1일 2회씩 6주간 섭취하도록 하였다 (n = 18명). 섭취결과 XOS군과 XOSmix군의 경우 섭취전 주간 배변횟수가 2.47회에서 섭취 1주째부터 증가하여 섭취 6주째에는 주간 배변횟수가 4.11회와 5.67회로 각각 증가하였다. XOS와 XOS 함유 커피믹스는 통계적으로 유의하게 복부 불쾌감과 잔변감을 개선하였으며, 배변횟수의 증가는 섭취초반 부터 효과가 있는 것으로 나타났다. 따라서 XOS는 0.7 g의 적은양으로도 변비를 개선하는 효과가 있는 것으로 나타나 음료에 기능성을 갖춘 감미료로서의 활용이 기대된다.