IBS Most people suffer occasionally with bloating or abdominal discomfort – eating at odd hours or unusual quantities can cause indigestion – but when these symptoms are severe and won’t go away even when you change your eating habits, it’s likely you have irritable bowel syndrome. Although researchers haven’t been able to pinpoint effective treatment, a new study from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden shows that exercise can help improve symptoms for IBS sufferers.
Medical researchers don’t know what the cause for IBS is, but that’s partly because it covers such a wide range of symptoms – added to the list of bloating, abdominal pain and/or discomfort, is also constipation, diarrhoea, as well as stomach cramps. Researchers theorise that in some people it is caused by a bacterial infection, while some individuals may be more sensitive to certain types of foods or that a person’s stress levels affects the digestive process, causing IBS.
For this study, 51 of 102 patients aged between 18 and 65 who had been diagnosed with IBS were randomly chosen to increase their physical activity levels; the other 51 were left to stick to their usual lifestyle, whether or not that included exercise. Both of the groups had regular phone conversations with a physiotherapist.
Before beginning the study all study participants were asked to rate their IBS symptoms, including abdominal pain, stool problems and overall quality of life. The experimental exercise group were then advised to do moderate to vigorous activity for 20-30 minutes three to five times a week.
The control group, who did not change their lifestyles, saw an improvement in self-reported symptoms of 5 points; the experimental exercise group improved by 51 points, more than a ten-fold difference. A smaller proportion of individuals in the exercise group reported worsening symptoms too – 8% compared to 23% in the control group. This, say the researchers, shows that exercise could be an effective treatment for many IBS sufferers.
First published January 26, 2011