{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]],"date-time":"2026-02-19T02:12:20Z","timestamp":1771467140590,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,28]],"date-time":"2024-12-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1735344000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Malva sylvestris L. is rich in mucilage and is traditionally used for the management of numerous ailments including gastrointestinal disorders. Functional constipation (FC) is a gastrointestinal condition characterized by defecation anomalies such as infrequent stools, difficulty in stool passage, or both in the absence of pathological abnormalities. FC can be reduced through lifestyle factors and dietary intervention. This consumer-based survey aimed to assess the efficacy of a M. sylvestris extract-based food supplement on the improvement of FC. Methods: Healthy participants (n = 56), enrolled in a consumer-based survey, took a food supplement containing a chemically characterized M. sylvestris extract at a dose of 20 mL\/day (containing 750 mg of M. sylvestris extract rich in food fiber and polyphenols) for 20 days on the advice of their pharmacist. The study evaluated bowel movement frequency (intestinal diary), stool consistency (Bristol Stool Form Scale, BSFS), and abdominal pain (Visual Analogue Scale, VAS), at baseline (T0), after 10 days (T1), and after 20 days (T2). Results: A significant increase in bowel movement frequency and stool consistency (p &lt; 0.001) with a significant decrease in abdominal pain (p &lt; 0.001) was observed. Additionally, this food supplement was well-tolerated as no adverse effects were reported by the enrolled subjects. Conclusion: M. sylvestris-based food supplement showed promising effectiveness and satisfaction in improving FC in healthy subjects, however, randomized clinical studies are needed to confirm these preliminary results.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu17010077","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,1]],"date-time":"2025-01-01T14:35:42Z","timestamp":1735742142000},"page":"77","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Efficacy and Satisfaction of a Chemically Characterized Malva sylvestris L. Extract-Based Food Supplement for Functional Constipation in Healthy Consumers: Preliminary Results of a Questionnaire-Based Survey"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Lorenza Francesca De","family":"Lellis","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, University of Napoli Federico II, Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9437-676X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hammad","family":"Ullah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, University of Napoli Federico II, Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-0810-8460","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria Vittoria","family":"Morone","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology, University of Campania \u201cL. Vanvitelli\u201d, 80138 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Daniele Giuseppe","family":"Buccato","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, University of Napoli Federico II, Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2877-9445","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alessandra","family":"Baldi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, University of Napoli Federico II, Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8084-9976","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alessandro Di","family":"Minno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, University of Napoli Federico II, Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy"},{"name":"CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6942-814X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dana\u00e9 S.","family":"Larsen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6199-0074","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Roberto","family":"Sacchi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Applied Statistic Unit, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Viale Taramelli 24, 27100 Pavia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4870-7713","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria","family":"Daglia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, University of Napoli Federico II, Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy"},{"name":"International Research Center for Food Nutrition and Safety, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"21","DOI":"10.1038\/s41575-019-0222-y","article-title":"Management of functional constipation in children and adults","volume":"17","author":"Vriesman","year":"2020","journal-title":"Nat. Rev. Gastroenterol. 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