Low-dietary fiber intake as a risk factor for recurrent abdominal pain in children

Abstract

To evaluate dietary fiber intake in children with recurrent abdominal pain. Cross-sectional study with control group. Outpatients of the Pediatric Gastroenterology public health clinic of the Darcy Vargas Children's Hospital, Brazil. Forty-one patients with recurrent abdominal pain were evaluated and 41 children, as a control group. Macronutrients and fiber intake evaluation by the Daily Food Intake method. Two tables of fiber composition in foods were used. According to the Brazilian table the mean intake of fiber (g/day) by the children of the recurrent abdominal pain groups with chronic constipation or not, and the control group was, respectively, 18.2, 16.6 and 23.7 for total fiber (P=0.001), 7.5, 6.9 and 9.5 for soluble fiber (P=0.001) and 10.7, 9.7 and 14.1 for insoluble fiber (P=0.002). According to the AOAC table, the recurrent abdominal pain group with chronic constipation or not (10.6 and 9.9 g/day) also had lower intake of total fiber than the control group (13.4 g/day) (P=0.008). The intake of fiber was lower than the minimum recommended value (age+5 g) and statistically associated (P=0.021) with the recurrent abdominal pain group (78%) in comparison with the control one (51.2%). The odds ratio was 3.39 (95% CI, 1.18-9.95). fiber intake below the minimum recommended value is a risk factor for recurrent abdominal pain in children.