Association Between Dietary Fiber and Parkinson's Disease in the United States: NHANES 2005–2018

• Published in: Brain and Behavior
• Main Authors: Qifan Yang, Shijin Li, Xiao Li, Jiayu Peng, Bowen Han, Yuetong Liu, Xuehui Chang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2025-09-01
• Subjects: cross‐sectional study; dietary fiber; dietary therapy; National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES); Parkinson's disease
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.70819

ABSTRACT Objective To explore the association between dietary fiber (DF) intake and the prevalence of Parkinson's disease (PD) in American adults on the basis of cross‐sectional data. Methods This cross‐sectional study utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning from 2005 to 2018. Multivariable logistic regression models and trend analyses were employed to examine the relationship between average dietary fiber intake (ADFI, g/day) and PD prevalence. Additionally, restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were used to investigate the potential nonlinear dose–response relationship between ADFI and PD. Subgroup interaction analyses were conducted as exploratory analyses to evaluate the association between ADFI and PD across different subgroups. Results A total of 30,884 adults aged 20 years and older were included in the study, among whom 411 were PD patients. Adjusted multivariable logistic regression models (low vs. high ADFI: odds ratio [OR]: 1.68, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.15–2.46, p = 0.008) and trend analyses (OR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.74–0.95, p = 0.007) indicated a significant inverse association between ADFI and PD prevalence. The RCS regression analysis demonstrated a significant linear relationship between ADFI and PD (p for overall = 0.002, p for nonlinearity = 0.213). Subgroup interaction analysis revealed that the association between higher ADFI and lower PD risk was more pronounced in females and non‐stroke individuals. Conclusion Higher ADFI was associated with lower odds of PD in this cross‐sectional study. Specifically, low ADFI was associated with 68% higher odds of PD, whereas each unit increase in ADFI was associated with 16% lower odds of PD.