Cellulose Supplementation of A Nutritionally Complete, Liquid Formula Diet: Effect on Gastrointestinal Tract Function of Humans and Fecal Fiber Recovery

The objective was to determine the effect of cellulose supplementation of a nutritionally complete, liquid formula diet on fecal fiber composition, cellulose digestion, and gastrointestinal tract motility in healthy human adults. The liquid formula product was supplemented with 0, 20, 30 or 40g cellulose/subject/day. Dry fecal weights increased with increasing levels of cellulose; however, moisture content of wet stools tended to decrease. Approximately 76% of the cellulose supplements were recovered in the stools as cellulose. While fecal transit times tended to decrease and number of defecations per period tended to increase with increasing levels of cellulose, stools at high levels of cellulose were abnormal in appearance and several subjects experienced problems with elimination.