title: Dietary patterns associated with functional constipation among Japanese women aged 18 to 20 years: a cross-sectional study.
abstract: Although several nutrients and foods have been suggested to be preventive for constipation, all previous studies have examined a single nutrient or food in each analysis. In contrast, analysis of dietary patterns may provide new insights into the influence of diet on functional constipation. We conducted a cross-sectional examination of the association between dietary pattern and functional constipation in 3,770 Japanese female dietetic course students aged 18-20 y from 53 institutions in Japan. Diet was assessed with a validated self-administered diet history questionnaire with 148 food items, from which 30 food groups were created and entered into a factor analysis. Functional constipation was defined using the Rome I criteria, which has previously been used in several epidemiologic studies on constipation. The prevalence of functional constipation was 26.0% (n=979). Four dietary patterns were identified: (1) "Healthy", (2) "Japanese traditional", (3) "Western," and 4) "Coffee and dairy products." After adjustment for several confounding factors, the "Japanese traditional" pattern, characterized by a high intake of rice, miso soup, and soy products and a low intake of bread and confectionaries, was associated with a significantly lower prevalence of functional constipation. In comparison with the lowest quintile, the multivariate adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) was 0.52 (0.41-0.66) in the highest quintile (p for trend < 0.0001). Other dietary patterns were not associated with functional constipation. The Japanese traditional dietary pattern, characterized by a high intake of rice and a low intake of bread and confectionaries, may be beneficial in preventing functional constipation in young Japanese women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition Sciences, Kagawa Nutrition University, Saitama 350-0288, Japan.
authors.forename: Hitomi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okubo
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: Mi Kyung
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yoshiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hosoi
authors.forename: Mami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Itabashi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003248:Constipation / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000379:methods*; D015930:Diet Records; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires