Liquid food for curing constipation: polydextrose and oligosaccharide

A liquid food, which is helpful in correcting constipation, comprising:

• (a) a water soluble polysaccharide composed of glucose or maltose units having a molecular weight of 1,500 to 18,000 and
• (b) an oligosaccharide of at least 3 saccharide units which is utilizable by intestinal bifidobacteria selected from the group consisting of:
• (i) raffinose family oligosaccharide:
• Gal--(Gal).sub.n --Glc--Fru, n=0, 1;
• (ii) galactose series oligosaccharide:
• Gal--(Gal).sub.m --Glc, m=1, 2, 3, 4
• or Gal--(.beta.-1,6)--Glc--(.beta.-1,4)--Gal;
• (iii) fructooligosaccharide:
• Fru--(Fru).sub.m --Glc, m=1, 2, 3, 4
• or Fru--(Fru).sub.n --Glc--Fru, n=0, 1;
• (iv) decomposition product of Konjak mannan which is an oligosaccharide comprised of glucose and mannose;
• (v) levan (.beta.-2,6-fructan):
• Fru--(.beta.-2,6)--(Fru--(.beta.-2,6).sub.p =Fru;
• p=1-28;
• (vi) partially hydrolyzed chitin:
• Gal--(GlcNAc).sub.m --Glc, m=1, 2, 3, 4;
• and
• (vii) lactosucrose:
• Gal--Glc--Fru,
• where Gal=galactose moiety, Glc=glucose moiety, Fru=fructose moiety, GlcNAc=N-acetylglucosamine moiety, and wherein (a) and (b) are admixed in a ratio of about 1:10 to about 20:1.