Combining three healthy behaviors can reduce the risk of irritable bowel syndrome by 42%, a study suggests.
IBS affects the digestive system and its symptoms include stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhea and constipation. People can suffer for days, weeks or months at a time, and symptoms can come and go. IBS is thought to affect up to one in 10 people worldwide.
It is not known exactly what causes the condition, but studies have suggested that oversensitive nerves in the gut, stress and a family history of IBS may play a role.
Previous research has linked individual lifestyle factors to an increased risk of IBS, and researchers wanted to find out if a combination of various measures could ward off the condition.
the study room, published in the journal Gutfound that leading a healthy lifestyle was strongly linked to a lower chance of developing the condition.
Five healthy behaviors – not smoking, good sleep, enough exercise, healthy diet and lower alcohol consumption – were all studied.
Three of these – not smoking, vigorous exercise and getting at least seven hours of sleep a night – seemed to have the biggest effects individually.
When looking at the healthy behaviors combined, people who had three or more of the five were least likely to develop IBS.
Researchers looked at 64,286 people – with an average age of 55, and of whom just over half were women – from the UK Biobank medical database. None had a diagnosis of IBS at the start of the study period, and all completed at least two 24-hour questionnaires about their diet.
Over 12 and a half years, 961 cases of IBS were noted (1.5% of the sample). Of everyone in the study, 7,604 people (12%) did not have any of the five healthy lifestyle behaviors, 20,662 (32%) reported one, 21,901 (34%) reported two and 14,101 (22%) reported three to five reported.
After accounting for factors that could influence the results, such as a family history of IBS, people who were the healthiest had the lowest risk of IBS.
Having one healthy behavior was associated with a 21% lower risk, having two was associated with a 36% lower risk, and having three to five was linked with a 42% lower risk.
Individually, never smoking was linked to a 14% lower risk, a high level of physical activity was associated with a 17% lower risk, and a good night’s sleep was linked to a 27% lower risk.
The researchers from the University of Hong Kong cautioned that they cannot prove cause and effect due to the observational nature of the study.
The findings relied on self-reporting, which may not always be accurate, and the sample group was older, so the findings may not apply to younger age groups. It was also not possible to account for any lifestyle changes over time during the monitoring period.
The researchers concluded: “Adherence to a greater number of the five healthy lifestyle behaviors is significantly associated with lower IBS incidence in a middle-aged population. Our findings suggest the potential of lifestyle modifications as a primary prevention strategy for IBS.”
