Healthy lifestyles choices, including not smoking, a high level of activity, and sleeping 7 to 9 hours per night, are strongly linked with a decreased risk of developing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), according to a study published.
In their study, researchers looked at the medical and diet information of 64,268 people from the UK Biobank with an average age of 55 who completed at least two 24-hour dietary recalls.
The scientists looked at five healthy behaviors:
- Not smoking
- High level of vigorous activity
- Getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night
- Eating a high-quality, balanced diet
- Moderate alcohol consumption
The researchers analyzed the engagement of the participants with these five behaviors and found:
- 7,604 (nearly 12%) reported engaging in none of the five healthy behaviors.
- 20,662 participants (32%) reported engaging in one of the behaviors.
- 21,904 (34%) reported two healthy behaviors.
- 14,101 (nearly 22%) reported three to five behaviors.
The scientists reported that the higher the number of behaviors a participant engaged in, the lower their risk of developing IBS.
“This study evaluated five independent risk factors for the development of IBS, which we still don’t have accurate etiology or effective treatment options,” said Dr. James Lee, a gastroenterologist with Providence St. Joseph Hospital in California who was not involved in the study. “[The] study was well designed, and statistical analysis was thorough. This seems to be the first study in combining all five risk factors such as smoking, drinking alcohol, sleep quality, [and] exercise as well as proper diet in preventing the development of IBS symptoms in the [United Kingdom].”
“Indeed, there was compelling evidence that following optimal habits among three to five of these risk factors reduced the incidence of IBS up to 42 percent in a prospective study.” Lee told Medical News Today. “This study was not designed to identify the cause or treatment of IBS but help to prevent the development of IBS recommending lifestyle changes as listed.”
“Some of the salient points in the study is that of the 64,268 participants, IBS developed only in 961 participants (1.5 percent),” Lee noted. “These patients did not have IBS symptoms at the baseline and tended to be older. When we consider up to 10 percent of the general population suffers from IBS, there could be a selection bias, and perhaps these people have different mechanisms of IBS than the general population. This could mean there should be some limitation on whom we can apply these principles.”
Researchers report that engaging in one of the five healthy lifestyle behaviors resulted in a 21% risk reduction, two resulted in a 36% lower risk, and three to five resulted in a 42% lower risk.
