Combining three healthy behaviors can lower IBS risk, research shows

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 from it for days, weeks or months, and symptoms can come and go. IBS is believed to affect up to one in ten people worldwide.

It is not known exactly what causes the condition, but studies have suggested that hypersensitive nerves in the intestines, 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 know whether a combination of different measures could ward off the condition.

The study, published in the magazine Gutfound that leading a healthy lifestyle was strongly linked to a lower chance of developing the condition.

Five healthy behaviors – not smoking, sleeping well, sufficient exercise, healthy diet and less alcohol consumption – have all been studied.

Three of these – not smoking, exercising intensively and at least seven hours of sleep per night – seemed to have the greatest effect individually.

Looking at the healthy behaviors combined, people who had three or more of the five were the least likely to develop IBS.

Researchers looked at 64,286 people – with an average age of 55, and just over half of whom were women – from the UK Biobank medical database. None of them had been diagnosed with IBS at the start of the study period and all had completed at least two 24-hour diet questionnaires.

Over 12 and a half years, 961 cases of IBS were noted (1.5% of the sample). Of all study participants, 7,604 people (12%) did not engage in 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.

After taking into account factors that could affect 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 to a 42% lower risk.

Individually, never smoking was linked to a 14% lower risk, high levels of physical activity were associated with a 17% lower risk, and a good night’s sleep was linked to a 27% lower risk.

The University of Hong Kong researchers cautioned that they could not prove cause and effect due to the observational nature of the study.

The findings were based 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. Also, it was not possible to take into account changes in lifestyle over time during the monitoring period.

The researchers concluded: “Adhering 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.”