3.1. Participant Characteristics
A pre-survey of 67 preschool children was conducted to assess eligibility. Twenty-five children met the inclusion criteria with defecation on ≤4 days/week, but two withdrew consent to participate, so twenty-three participants were investigated. Participants were randomly assigned to the kestose group (One participant in the kestose group who developed soft stools during the study period was withdrawn from the study. Statistical analysis was performed on the 10 remaining participants in the kestose group and 12 participants in the maltose group (No significant differences in age, sex, or use of pre/probiotics or laxatives were identified between groups (