Soy-polysaccharide fiber: effect on diarrhea in tube-fed, head-injured patients

In a randomized, double-blind, crossover study the effect of tube-feeding with soy-polysaccharide fiber (SPF) vs without SPF on stool weight (SW), stool consistency (SC), fecal nitrogen (FN), and incidence of diarrhea (ID) was compared in nine head-injured subjects; associations with feeding volume, albumin level, and medications were also examined. Subjects with and without SPF had (mean +/- SEM) SW of 245 +/- 47 and 277 +/- 49 g/d, SC of 2.17 +/- 0.01 and 2.52 +/- 0.13 (3 is watery) (p less than 0.01), FN of 1.35 +/- 0.45 and 1.36 +/- 0.33 g/d, and ID of 33% and 44%, respectively. Significant treatment X treatment-sequence interaction nullified results for SW and SC. Neither FN nor ID were affected by SPF. The condition of all variables tended to improve over time. Certain medications and SPF were predictive of SW and SC; albumin and tube-feeding volume were not. SPF-containing tube feedings did not seem to have an effect on bowel function in these well-nourished head-injured patients.