Do thickened liquids can cause digestive disorders (abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation ...)?
There is some data for a possible association between necrotizing enterocolitis and ingestion of a commercial feed thickener by premature infants. Thickener and digestive maturation are probably different that in adult, but do you know some data on digestive tolerance of these products ?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22575248
the gastroesophageal reflux was induced by increased osmolarity of ingested foods. cucchiara s bortolotti m minella r et all.fasting and post-prandialmechanisms of gastroesophageal reflux in children with gastroesophageal reflux disease. Dig Dis Sci 1993;38:86-92
It is unusual in the common daily clinical practice, but in some exceptional cases may occur, dependent os several accompanying factors, such as age, nutritional state, associated diseases and some other...
For adults on tube feeding, using thickeners to increase the viscosity of the feed can decrease the incidence of gastroesophageal reflux.
Efficacy of half-solid nutrient for the elderly patients with percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy. T Shizuku, K Adachi, K Furuta. 2011.226-229.
Here, a specific study on the topic
Article Tolerability and Product Properties of a Gum-Containing Thic...