Dietary Vitamin B1 Linked to Reduced Risk of Chronic Constipation: Study

The following were the key findings of the study:

• There were 10,371 participants in the trial, out of which 1,123 individuals were identified as having chronic constipation.
• Fully adjusted multiple logistic regression analyses showed that increasing dietary intake of vitamin B1 (OR = 0.87) was significantly associated with a reduced risk of constipation.
• Following adjustment for multiple variables in Model 3, the odds ratio (OR) for the third tertile, compared to the first tertile (reference group), was 0.80.
• Subgroup analyses and interaction tests showed a significant inverse association between vitamin B1 intake and the prevalence of constipation, especially among men, non-hypertensive, and non-diabetic individuals.

The study identified an inverse relationship between dietary vitamin B1 intake and the prevalence of chronic constipation in the general adult population. This suggests that increasing vitamin B1 consumption through diet could lead to softer stools and improved intestinal motility, potentially easing constipation symptoms.

"Therefore, healthcare professionals should emphasize the importance of a balanced diet as a first-line therapeutic strategy before considering medical treatments," the researchers concluded.

Reference:

Du, W., Lu, L., Liu, Y. et al. The association between dietary vitamin B1 intake and constipation: a population-based study. BMC Gastroenterol 24, 171 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12876-024-03255-2