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

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+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). CONCLUSION: fiber intake below the minimum recommended value is a risk factor for recurrent abdominal pain in children.