Relationship between dietary fiber intake and chronic diarrhea in adults

BACKGROUND Dietary fiber is essential for human health and can help reduce the symptoms of constipation. However, the relationship between dietary fiber and diarrhea is, poorly understood. AIM To evaluate the relationship between dietary fiber and chronic diarrhea. METHODS This retrospective study was conducted using data from the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted between 2005 and 2010. Participants over the age of 20 were included. To measure dietary fiber consumption, two 24-hour meal recall interviews were conducted. The independent relationship between the total amount of dietary fiber and chronic diarrhea was evaluated with multiple logistic regression and interaction analysis. RESULTS Data from 12829 participants were analyzed. Participants without chronic diarrhea consumed more dietary fiber than participants with chronic diarrhea (29.7 vs 28.5, P = 0.004). Additionally, in participants with chronic diarrhea, a correlation between sex and dietary fiber intake was present: Women who consume more than 25 g of dietary fiber daily can reduce the occurrence of chronic diarrhea. CONCLUSION Dietary fiber can reduce the occurrence of chronic diarrhea.