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

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate dietary fiber intake in children with recurrent abdominal pain.Design: Cross-sectional study with control group.Setting: Outpatients of the Pediatric Gastroenterology public health clinic of the Darcy Vargas Children's Hospital, Brazil.Subjects: Forty-one patients with recurrent abdominal pain were evaluated and 41 children, as a control group.Interventions: Macronutrients and fiber intake evaluation by the Daily Food Intake method. Two tables of fiber composition in foods were used.Results: 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+5g) 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).Conclusion: fiber intake below the minimum recommended value is a risk factor for recurrent abdominal pain in children.