ArticleClinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association2013
Constipation and a low-fiber diet are not associated with diverticulosis.
Article in Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 65 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
65 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 146 citations in OpenAlex.
- Smoking and alcohol consumption as risk factors for colonic diverticulosis and its complications: Systematic review and meta-analysis.Medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Exploring the gut-exercise link: A systematic review of gastrointestinal disorders in physical activity.World journal of gastroenterology · 2025Pooled it
- Genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors in diverticular disease: systematic review.BJS open · 2024Pooled it
- Diverticulosis and cardiometabolic risk factors: a systematic literature review.International journal of colorectal disease · 2023Pooled it
- Does the microbiome play a role in the pathogenesis of colonic diverticular disease? A systematic review.Journal of gastroenterology and hepatology · 2023Pooled it
- Epidemiology and risk factors for diverticular disease.Acta bio-medica : Atenei Parmensis · 2018Pooled it
- Association between Alcohol Consumption and Diverticulosis and Diverticular Bleeding: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Hawai'i journal of medicine & public health : a journal of Asia Pacific Medicine & Public Health · 2017Pooled it
- Ethnic Disparities in Colonic Diverticulosis Between Arab and Jewish Patients: A Large Nationwide Cohort Study.Journal of immigrant and minority health · 2026Article
- Low dietary fiber diet does not reduce risk for adhesive small bowel obstruction development: self-controlled study.BMC nutrition · 2025Article
- Impact of Diet on Gut Microbiota in Diverticular Disease of the Colon: An Exploratory Retrospective Study.Microorganisms · 2025Article
- The Epidemiology of Diverticulitis.Clinics in colon and rectal surgery · 2025Review
- Diet and Risk for Incident Diverticulitis in Women : A Prospective Cohort Study.Annals of internal medicine · 2025Article
- Bowel movement alterations predict the severity of diverticular disease and the risk of acute diverticulitis: a prospective, international study.Intestinal research · 2025Article
- Exploring the Diet-diverticular Disease Link: Insights from a Comprehensive Mendelian Randomization Study.Current medicinal chemistry · 2025Article
- Exploring the Impact of Dietary Factors on Intestinal Diverticular Disease: A Mendelian Randomization Approach.Food science & nutrition · 2024Article
- Diverticulitis: A Review of Current and Emerging Practice-Changing Evidence.Clinics in colon and rectal surgery · 2024Review
- Article
- Can diet change the natural history of gastrointestinal diseases?JGH open : an open access journal of gastroenterology and hepatology · 2024Review
- Article
- Smoking and Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Incident Diverticulitis in Women.Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association · 2024Article
5 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND &
aimsAsymptomatic diverticulosis is commonly attributed to constipation caused by a low-fiber diet, although evidence for this mechanism is limited. We examined the associations between constipation and low dietary fiber intake with risk of asymptomatic diverticulosis.
methodsWe performed a cross-sectional study that analyzed data from 539 individuals with diverticulosis and 1569 without (controls). Participants underwent colonoscopy and assessment of diet, physical activity, and bowel habits. Our analysis was limited to participants with no knowledge of their diverticular disease to reduce the risk of biased responses.
resultsConstipation was not associated with an increased risk of diverticulosis. Participants with less frequent bowel movements (<7/wk) had reduced odds of diverticulosis compared with those with regular bowel movements (7/wk) (odds ratio [OR], 0.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.40-0.80). Those reporting hard stools also had reduced odds (OR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.55-1.02). There was no association between diverticulosis and straining (OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.59-1.22) or incomplete bowel movement (OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.61-1.20). We found no association between dietary fiber intake and diverticulosis (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.71-1.30) in comparing the highest quartile with the lowest (mean intake, 25 vs 8 g/day).
conclusionsIn our cross-sectional, colonoscopy-based study, neither constipation nor a low-fiber diet was associated with an increased risk of diverticulosis.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.