Physical Activity Helps Ward Off Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Meta-Analysis Shows

Higher levels of physical activity are associated with a decreased risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), particularly Crohn's disease (CD).

METHODOLOGY:

Because previous observational studies on the association between physical activity and IBD risk have yielded a wide range of results and conclusions, researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the aggregate effect of physical activity on IBD risk across various demographics. The analysis included three large population-based cohort studies and seven small and large case-control studies from several global regions that were published before April 2023. The cohort studies included 1182 patients with CD, 2361 with ulcerative colitis (UC), and 860,992 individuals without IBD. The case-control studies involved 781 patients with CD and 2636 individuals without CD, and 1127 patients with UC and 3752 individuals without UC. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach was used to determine the quality of evidence in the included studies.

"There could be a role of physical activity as a prevention strategy against developing IBD. In addition to implementing public health interventions to increase physical activity level, there may be a place for physicians to advise increased physical activity level, especially to individuals at high risk of developing IBD, such as those with a strong family history of IBD," the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

The study, led by Ho Tuan Tiong, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand, was published online in the Journal of Crohn's and Colitis.

Source: MEDspace