Association of niacin intake with constipation in adult: result from the National Health and Nutrition Examination

BACKGROUND: Although dietary intake is believed to be associated with constipation, there is currently a lack of research exploring the relationship between niacin intake and constipation. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the association between niacin intake in adults and constipation using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). METHODS: This study included 5170 participants (aged ≥ 20 years) from the NHANES survey conducted between 2009 and 2010. Participants who reported experiencing constipation “always”, “most of the time”, or “sometimes” in the past 12 months were defined as constipation cases. The daily niacin intake was obtained from dietary recall and dietary supplement recalls of the patients. Weighted multivariate logistic regression analysis, restricted cubic spline regression, subgroup analysis, and interaction analysis were used to assess the correlation between niacin intake and constipation. RESULTS: After adjustment for covariates, the multivariate logistic regression model showed that low niacin intake was associated with a higher risk of constipation (Model 1: OR: 0.917, 95% CI 0.854–0.985, P = 0.023; Model 2: OR: 0.871, 95% CI 0.794–0.955, P = 0.01). After dividing niacin intake into four groups, a daily intake of 0–18 mg niacin was associated with a higher risk of constipation (Model 1: OR: 1.059, 95% CI 1.012–1.106, P = 0.019; Model 2: OR: 1.073, 95% CI 1.025–1.123, P = 0.013). The restricted cubic spline regression analysis also showed a non-linear relationship between niacin intake and the risk of constipation. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggested that daily intake of 0–18 mg of niacin was associated with a higher risk of constipation compared to a daily intake of 18–27 mg of niacin.