# Supplemental Evidence and Data Request on Fiber Intake and Laxation Outcomes
**AGENCY:**
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), HHS.
**ACTION:**
Request for supplemental evidence and data submission.
**SUMMARY:**
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is seeking scientific information submissions from the public. Scientific information is being solicited to inform our review on *Fiber Intake and Laxation Outcomes,* which is currently being conducted by the AHRQ's Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPC) Program. Access to published and unpublished pertinent scientific information will improve the quality of this review.
**DATES:**
*Submission Deadline* on or before April 29, 2024.
**ADDRESSES:**
*Email submissions: [email protected].*
*Print submissions:*
*Mailing Address:* Center for Evidence and Practice Improvement, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, ATTN: EPC SEADs Coordinator, 5600 Fishers Lane, Mail Stop 06E53A, Rockville, MD 20857
Shipping Address (FedEx, UPS, etc.): Center for Evidence and Practice Improvement, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, ATTN: EPC SEADs Coordinator, 5600 Fishers Lane, Mail Stop 06E77D, Rockville, MD 20857
**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:**
Kelly Carper, Telephone: 301-427-1656 or Email: *[email protected].*
**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:**
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has commissioned the Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPC) Program to complete a review of the evidence for *Fiber Intake and Laxation Outcomes.* AHRQ is conducting this review pursuant to Section 902 of the Public Health Service Act, 42 U.S.C. 299a.
The EPC Program is dedicated to identifying as many studies as possible that are relevant to the questions for each of its reviews. In order to do so, we are supplementing the usual manual and electronic database searches of the literature by requesting information from the public ( *e.g.,* details of studies conducted). We are looking for studies that report on *Fiber Intake and Laxation Outcomes.* The entire research protocol is available online at: *https://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/products/fiber-intake/protocol* .
This is to notify the public that the EPC Program would find the following information on *Fiber Intake and Laxation Outcomes* helpful:
A list of completed studies that your organization has sponsored for this topic. In the list, please *indicate whether results are available on ClinicalTrials.gov along with the ClinicalTrials.gov trial number.*
*For completed studies that do not have results on ClinicalTrials.gov,* a summary, including the following elements, if relevant: study number, study period, design, methodology, indication and diagnosis, proper use instructions, inclusion and exclusion criteria, primary and secondary outcomes, baseline characteristics, number of patients screened/eligible/enrolled/lost to follow-up/withdrawn/analyzed, effectiveness/efficacy, and safety results.
*A list of ongoing studies that your organization has sponsored for this topic.* In the list, please provide the *ClinicalTrials.gov* trial number or, if the trial is not registered, the protocol for the study including, if relevant, a study number, the study period, design, methodology, indication and diagnosis, proper use instructions, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and primary and secondary outcomes.
Description of whether the above studies constitute *ALL Phase II and above clinical trials* sponsored by your organization for this topic and an index outlining the relevant information in each submitted file.
Your contribution is very beneficial to the Program. Materials submitted must be publicly available or able to be made public. Materials that are considered confidential; marketing materials; study types not included in the review; or information on topics not included in the review cannot be used by the EPC Program. This is a voluntary request for information, and all costs for complying with this request must be borne by the submitter.
The draft of this review will be posted on AHRQ's EPC Program website and available for public comment for a period of 4 weeks. If you would like to be notified when the draft is posted, please sign up for the email list at: *https://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/email-updates* .
*The review will answer the following questions. This information is provided as background. AHRQ is not requesting that the public provide answers to these questions.*
**Key Question (KQ)**
*KQ 1:* What is the association between fiber intake and laxation/gut motility in apparently healthy individuals?
*KQ 1a:* How does the association vary among people in different life stages?
**PICOTS (Populations, Interventions, Comparators, Outcomes, Timing, and Setting)**
| Element | Inclusion criteria | Exclusion criteria |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Population | • Individuals of any age, including pregnant or lactating women. | • Those with diseases/health-related conditions or taking medications that could impact gut motility/laxation (
irritable bowel syndrome; chronic constipation; lactose intolerance; use of medications that stimulate laxation or cause constipation). |
| Interventions | • Fiber intake, including different types and sources of fiber. | • Diets (or other interventions or exposures) where the fiber intake has not been quantified or explicitly specified. |
| Comparators | • Different levels (dosages) of fiber. | • Other entities with a purported effect on motility, digestion, or microbiota (
probiotic). |
| Interventions vs. Comparators | • Fiber (supplement) vs. no fiber (supplement). | • Fiber + probiotic (etc.) vs. no intervention or placebo. |
| Outcomes | • Laxation (
gut motility). | • Other disease or health outcomes. |
| Subgroups of interest | • Specific life stages: | None. |
| Design | • Randomized controlled trials. | • Observational studies. |
| Timing | • Minimum duration of intervention: 2 weeks. | None. |
| Setting | • General population. | • Hospital or other acute care settings. |
| Publication | • English language. | • Non-English language text. |
Dated: March 18, 2024.
Marquita Cullom,
Associate Director.