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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Med.

Sec. Gastroenterology

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1598415

Association between dietary vitamin B2 intake and constipation: a Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

Provisionally accepted
Chuanyu  MaChuanyu Ma1Ning  MaNing Ma1Hongyang  LuHongyang Lu1Tianye  HuangTianye Huang1Jingtao  ZhangJingtao Zhang1Minglei  LuoMinglei Luo1Kening  ZhangKening Zhang2*
  • 1Department of Proctology, Linyi Central Hospital, Yishui, China
  • 2Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Background: A multitude of studies has suggested a possible link between the intake of dietary micronutrients and the incidence of constipation. Nevertheless, there exists a significant gap in research that specifically addresses the relationship between vitamin B2 and constipation. The present investigation seeks to explore the possible correlation between dietary intake of vitamin B2 and chronic constipation in adult participants surveyed in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).Methods: This research leveraged data from the NHANES conducted between 2005 and 2010. Dietary intake information was obtained from participants through 24-hour dietary recall interviews. Various statistical approaches, including weighted logistic regression, interaction tests, subgroup analyses, and restricted cubic spline, were utilized to examine the relationship between dietary vitamin B2 consumption and the occurrence of constipation.Results: A comprehensive multiple logistic regression analysis that accounted for various confounding factors indicated that individuals with the highest quartile of vitamin B2 intake exhibited a significantly reduced risk of experiencing constipation (OR = 0.63; 95% CI, 0.47-0.84) in comparison to those situated in the lowest quartile. Furthermore, a continuous assessment of vitamin B2 intake demonstrated an inverse relationship with constipation (OR = 0.89, 95% CI, 0.81–0.98). The implementation of restricted cubic splines suggested a linear association between vitamin B2 consumption and constipation (P-nonlinear = 0.7297, P-overall = 0.0224). Notably, subgroup analyses uncovered a significant interaction effect between vitamin B2 intake and alcohol consumption regarding constipation (P for interaction = 0.012). Conclusion: This investigation highlights an inverse relationship between the dietary intake of vitamin B2 and constipation within the adult population of the United States.

Keywords: Vitamin B2, Riboflavin, Constipation, dose-response, NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey)

Received: 23 Mar 2025; Accepted: 03 Jun 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Ma, Ma, Lu, Huang, Zhang, Luo and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Kening Zhang, Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China

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