Association Between Eating Behavior, Frequency of Meals, and Functional Dyspepsia in Young Japanese Population

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Functional dyspepsia (FD) may be a common digestive disease worldwide and reduces the quality of life of patients. However, only a few studies have investigated the association between eating behavior and FD. The purpose of this cross-sectional study is to examine the association between eating behavior and prevalence of FD in a young Japanese cohort. METHODS: In this study, we enrolled 8923 Japanese university students. FD is diagnosed based on the Rome III criteria. Eating habits and frequency of meals were investigated using a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: The FD subjects had a younger mean age, a lower body mass index, and a lower proportion of men compared to the non-FD subjects. An independent positive association between skipping breakfast and/or lunch and FD was found (adjusted ORs were 1.60 [95% CI, 1.10-2.32] for breakfast and 2.52 [95% CI, 1.04-5.18] for lunch). Skipping dinner, extra meals (snacks) or midnight snacks was not associated with FD. The prevalence of FD in subjects eating 1, 2, and 3 meals per day was 4.8%, 2.2%, and 1.7%, respectively. The frequency of meals was independently inversely associated with prevalence of FD (adjusted ORs were 1 per day 2.72 [95% CI, 1.19-5.42], and 2 per day 1.69 [95% CI, 1.16-2.43], P for trend = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In the young Japanese people, the frequency of meals may be independently inversely associated with prevalence of FD. In particular, skipping breakfast and/or lunch was associated with the prevalence of FD.