{
  "abstract": "Introduction: This study investigated whether smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical inactivity mediate the associations between sex and Traditional Chinese Medicine body constitutions.\n\nMethods: We analyzed data from 35,456 adults aged >18 years enrolled in the Taiwan Biobank. Body constitutions (yang deficiency, yin deficiency, and phlegm-stasis) were assessed using the Body Constitution Questionnaire (BCQ). The BCQ consists of 44 items. Each item is rated on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (“never”) to 5 (“always”), with higher scores indicating a greater tendency toward the corresponding body constitution. Lifestyle behaviors included smoking, alcohol consumption, and leisure-time physical inactivity. Multivariable logistic regression and mediation analyses were performed.\n\nResults: Female sex was independently associated with increased odds of yang deficiency [odds ratio (OR) = 2.52, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.34–2.71], yin deficiency (OR = 2.09, 95% CI: 1.95–2.25), and phlegm-stasis (OR = 3.03, 95% CI: 2.79–3.30). Smoking showed significant negative indirect association, whereas alcohol consumption exhibited minimal mediation. Physical inactivity statistically accounted for approximately 6% of the observed associations between female sex and all three body constitution patterns.\n\nDiscussion: Women were more likely than men to exhibit yang deficiency, yin deficiency, and phlegm-stasis constitutions. Lifestyle behaviors explained only a small proportion of these sex differences. Given the cross-sectional design, these findings should be interpreted as statistical associations rather than evidence of causal mediation.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital , ,",
    "National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine, Ministry of Health and Welfare , ,",
    "Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital , ,",
    "Department of Public Health, College of Public Health, China Medical University , ,"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Cheng-Hung Lee"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Yi-Chang Su"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Chia-Ing Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Chuan-Wei Yang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Tsai-Chung Li"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/22r4xmz3c21g4.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fmed.2026.1973268",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13727733/?tool=EBI",
  "id": "22r4xmz3c21g4",
  "issns": [
    "2296-858X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13727733",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Original Research"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2707|Traditional Chinese Medicine Studies"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223063902",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13727733/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13727733",
  "pmid": "42978732",
  "published": "2026-10-20",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/22r4xmz3c21g4.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-04T15:20:46Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13727733",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13727733"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-06T12:23:33Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13727733",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2026.1973268"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2707|Traditional Chinese Medicine Studies",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Associations between sex and traditional Chinese medicine body constitutions: the potential role of lifestyle behaviors in a cross-sectional study",
  "title_text": "Associations between sex and traditional Chinese medicine body constitutions: the potential role of lifestyle behaviors in a cross-sectional study",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-07T12:20:52Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/22r4xmz3c21g4",
  "venue": "Frontiers in medicine",
  "versions": []
}