Kiwis and mineral water can cut constipation, says new guidance

You are constipated if you haven't had a bowel motion (poo) at least three times during the last week, or you're going less often than usual, says the NHS.

Straining on the loo or feeling like you haven't fully emptied your bowels may also be signs of constipation - but these aren't the only ones.

"People can report up to 30 different symptoms of constipation," says Dr Eirini Dimidi, lead study author and reader in nutritional sciences at King's College London (KCL).

The new guidance suggests the best remedy is to focus on fruit and drinks first, rather than worrying about the latest probiotic in the supermarket or packing your diet full of different kinds of fibre, she says.

Dr Dimidi recommends eating two or three kiwis throughout the day or 8-10 prunes to improve constipation.

Skin on or skin off the kiwi?

"Even without the skin, it's good and contains fibre," she explains, but adds there's no harm keeping the skin on either.

The fibre in kiwi fruit affects the gut in a way which increases the volume of stool, which can also induce contractions in the bowel.

"Kiwi also increases water content into the gut which may soften stools," Dr Dimidi says.

Snacking on 8-10 prunes a day and some rye bread can also have a similar effect.

Mineral water "is better than tap water" to drink, she says, although bottled water in the UK is lower in minerals than water available elsewhere, such as eastern Europe.

The crucial mineral is magnesium, which has a laxative effect. And that's why taking magnesium oxide supplements was found to have lots of benefits, according to the research.

These included reducing lower tummy pain, bloating, straining - and making it easier to poo.

Regarding probiotics, the guidelines suggest some types can improve some symptoms but there is also a lack of research on the impact of many different probiotic strains.