Dietary fiber intake and gallstones: The mediating role of serum lipids
Wenli Jiang, Furui Wang, Yuyu Lin, Xiu Luo, Ya Zheng, Jun Yan, Wei Yang, Zenan HuObjective
To investigate the mediating role of serum lipids in the association between dietary fiber intake and gallstones prevalence.
Methods
This study analyzed the data from 4896 adults participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted between 2017–March 2020 and August 2021–August 2023. Logistic regression models and subgroup analyses were conducted to assess the correlation between dietary fiber intake and gallstone prevalence. Additionally, smooth curve fitting based on the generalized additive model was applied to elucidate nonlinear relationships. The mediating effects of lipid-related indicators, including low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, total cholesterol, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, residual cholesterol, and atherogenic index of plasma were also evaluated.
Results
High-density lipoprotein cholesterol and atherogenic index of plasma significantly mediated the association between dietary fiber intake and gallstone prevalence, with mediation proportions of 5.06% and 4.26%, respectively (all
Conclusion
There exists a complex relationship between dietary fiber intake, serum lipid levels, and gallstone formation, with serum lipids potentially serving as mediators. Future research should explore this mechanism in greater depth to offer new insights for the prevention and treatment of gallstones.