Healthy Lifestyle Linked to Lower Risk for IBS

TOPLINE:

Adherence to a higher number of the five key lifestyle behaviors — not smoking, vigorous physical activity, optimal sleep, high-quality diet, and moderate alcohol consumption — is associated with a lower risk for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), new research suggested. 

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers assessed the association between healthy lifestyle behaviors and IBS incidence using UK Biobank data from 64,268 adults (mean age, 56 years; 55%, women) with no IBS diagnosis at baseline.
• Participants were enrolled during 2006-2010 and followed up to 2022.
• Self-reported healthy lifestyle behaviors were never smoking, optimal sleep, high level of vigorous physical activity, high dietary quality, and moderate alcohol intake.

TAKEAWAY:

• At baseline, 11.8% of participants reported none of the five healthy lifestyle behaviors, 32.1% reported one behavior, 34.1% reported two behaviors, and 21.9% reported three to five behaviors.
• During a mean follow-up of 12.6 years, 961 (1.5%) incident IBS cases occurred.
• Adjusted hazard ratios associated with IBS incidence and having one, two, and three to five behaviors were 0.79, 0.64, and 0.58, respectively.
• Significant independent inverse associations with IBS incidence were seen for never smoking (0.86), high level of vigorous physical activity (0.83), and optimal sleep (0.73).
• After adjustment for age, sex, employment status, geographic location, gastrointestinal infection, endometriosis, and family history of IBS, adherence to a higher number of healthy lifestyle behaviors remained significantly associated with a lower risk of incident IBS.

IN PRACTICE:

“This study provides evidence that adherence to a higher number of healthy lifestyle behaviors — never smoking, optimal sleep, high level of physical activity, high dietary quality and moderate alcohol intake — is significantly associated with a lower risk of subsequent IBS incidence. These findings suggest that lifestyle modifications should be considered as key primary prevention strategies for IBS,” the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

The study, led by Fai Fai Ho of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, was published online on February 20, 2024, in Gut. 

LIMITATIONS:

The study was observational, so it could not show cause and effect. It relied on self-report, which is not always accurate, and the findings may not be applicable to younger age groups. Lifestyle changes made during the follow-up period could not be considered.

DISCLOSURES:

The study was funded by the National Key R&D Program of China and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The authors declared no competing interests.