Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common chronic gastrointestinal (GI) disorder that impairs the quality of life. It is a functional disorder, i.e., there are no structural, physiological, or biochemical abnormalities in the GI tract. Factors such as poor lifestyle and poor dietary habits, such as lack of physical activity, sleep disturbance, and irregular eating, elevate the risk of IBS [1].
A recent study by Ho FF et al., recently published in the “Gut”, studied the association of healthy lifestyle behaviour with the incidence of IBS in the general population. The five healthy lifestyle behaviours studied were never smoking, optimal sleep, a high level of vigorous physical activity, high dietary quality, and moderate alcohol intake. Adopting a higher number of healthy lifestyle behaviors was associated with a significantly (p <0.001) lower risk of subsequent IBS incidence (see the Graphic for the study snapshot) [2].
(Sources: 1. Guo YB, Zhuang KM, Kuang L, et al. Association between diet and lifestyle habits and irritable bowel syndrome: A case-control study. Gut and liver. 2015;9(5):649-56. 2. Ho FF, Sun H, Zheng H, et al. Association of healthy lifestyle behaviours with incident irritable bowel syndrome: A large population-based prospective cohort study. Gut. 2024 Jan 10. Doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2023-331254)