title: Staple foods consumption and irritable bowel syndrome in Japanese adults: a cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Carbohydrates can cause gastrointestinal symptoms due to incomplete absorption in the small bowel. Thus, high-carbohydrate diets may induce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This observational and cross-sectional study assessed the association between consumption of several carbohydrate-enriched staple foods, such as rice, Japanese wheat noodles, Chinese noodles, bread, pasta, and buckwheat noodles, and the prevalence of IBS in Japanese adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  One thousand and eighty-two (837 men) Japanese adult employees aged 19-85 were included in this cross-sectional study conducted in 2011. IBS diagnosis was based on the Rome III criteria. Consumption of staple foods was assessed using a brief self-administered diet history questionnaire, and divided into three categories (low, middle, high) depending on their distribution.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the multivariate analysis, daily consumption of rice (odds ratios [ORs] and [95% confidence interval (CI)]: middle, 1.36 [0.93-1.99]; high, 1.67 [1.12-2.49]; P for trend = 0.01), bread (middle, 1.88 [1.28-2.75]; high, 1.63 [1.10-2.41]; P for trend = 0.01), pasta (middle, 1.47 [1.01-2.15]; high, 1.68 [1.12-2.52]; P for trend = 0.01), and buckwheat noodles (middle, 1.76 [1.18-2.61]; high, 1.98 [1.31-3.00]; P for trend = 0.001) were associated with higher prevalence of IBS after adjustment for socio-demographic, anthropometric, and lifestyle-related factors. Buckwheat noodles, but not other staple foods, retained an association with the prevalence of IBS even after adjustment for daily intake of carbohydrates or plant proteins.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This cross-sectional study demonstrated that the consumption of staple foods, such as rice, bread, pasta, and buckwheat noodles is associated with the prevalence of IBS. Of these, the consumption of buckwheat noodles, but not other staple foods, is associated with IBS independent of carbohydrate or plant protein contents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Zhaoqiu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Division of Biomedical Engineering for Health and Welfare, Tohoku University Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Cong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Yinting
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, 22 Qixiangtai Road, Heping District, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Kaijun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.affiliation: Division of Biomedical Engineering for Health and Welfare, Tohoku University Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Haruki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Momma
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoritoshi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Shin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fukudo
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan; Division of Biomedical Engineering for Health and Welfare, Tohoku University Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryoichi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nagatomi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044466:Asian People; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates