Association between daily calcium intake and the prevalence of chronic diarrhea: an analysis of NHANES 2005-2010 data

BMC Gastroenterol. 2025 Oct 6;25(1):694. doi: 10.1186/s12876-025-04282-3.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Chronic diarrhea significantly affects quality of life, yet the potential role of calcium intake in its prevention remains underexplored. This study aims to investigate the association between daily calcium intake and chronic diarrhea using data from the 2005 to 2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

METHODS: Data from NHANES 2005-2010 were analyzed, focusing on participants over the age of 20. The association between daily calcium intake and the prevalence of chronic diarrhea was assessed using weighted logistic regression models, calculating odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI), while controlling for potential confounding factors. Restricted cubic splines (RCS) were used to explore the potential non-linear association between calcium intake and the prevalence of chronic diarrhea, and subgroup analyses were conducted to evaluate the effect differences across various population groups. Potential interactions between different subgroups and the association between calcium intake and the prevalence of chronic diarrhea were also examined.

RESULTS: A total of 8,317 eligible participants were included in this study, with a median age of 39.0 years (IQR: 28.0-52.0) and a median daily calcium intake of 0.9 g/day (IQR: 0.6-1.2 g/day). A total of 507 participants were identified as having chronic diarrhea, including 214 males and 293 females. After adjusting for multiple covariates, higher calcium intake was significantly associated with a reduced prevalence of chronic diarrhea (OR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.49-0.95, P = 0.028). RCS analysis did not reveal any significant non-linear relationship (P = 0.724). Subgroup analyses stratified by age, gender, education level, marital status, race, poverty income ratio, body mass index, smoking status, depression, daily use of prednisone or cortisone, dietary fiber intake, total fat intake, and total dairy intake showed no significant interaction between calcium intake and the prevalence of chronic diarrhea (all P-values > 0.05).

CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that promoting adequate calcium intake may play a role in preventing chronic diarrhea, warranting further investigation in prospective studies.

PMID:41053608 | DOI:10.1186/s12876-025-04282-3