The association between the intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids and chronic constipation and diarrhea: NHANES 2005-2010

Background Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have shown notable protective effects in various diseases. This study aims to investigate the associations between PUFAs intake and both chronic constipation (CC) and chronic diarrhea (CD). Methods Data from three survey cycles (2005-2006, 2007-2008, and 2009-2010) of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were used for analysis. 24-hour dietary recall interviews were employed to evaluate PUFAs intake. The associations between PUFAs intake and both CC and CD were analyzed via multivariable weighted logistic regression (WLR). Furthermore, stratified analysis and restricted cubic splines analysis were carried out. Results7723 participants were included, among whom 545 (8.35%) were CC patients and 579 (7.50%) were CD patients. According to the results of multivariable MLR, a nonlinear association between PUFAs intake and CC was found (P for nonlinear < 0.05), where the increased daily intake was related to a declined prevalence of CC [OR = 0.976 (0.959, 0.993), P = 0.007] in the fully adjusted model. However, there was no significant evidence of an association between PUFAs intake and CD (P > 0.05). Conclusion PUFAs intake was negatively associated with CC and was not strongly associated with CD. It suggested that adjusting daily PUFAs intake may alleviate CC symptoms. Trial registration Not applicable.