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Exercise eases irritable bowel symptoms

Increasing one's physical activity routine can help improve symptoms among irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients and is protective against symptom deterioration.

Exercise eases irritable bowel symptoms

Increasing one's physical activity routine can help improve symptoms among irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients and is protective against symptom deterioration.

IBS is a disease that affects between 10 percent to 15 percent of people around the world, and is typically characterised by abdominal pain/discomfort, constipation and/or diarrhoea and bloating.

Physical activity has been shown to be effective in the treatment of conditions, such as fibromyalgia and depression. Although these conditions are associated with IBS, no study has assessed the effect of physical activity on gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in IBS. To study the effect of physical activity on symptoms in IBS, researchers in Sweden randomised 102 patients (aged between 18 and 65 years) to a physical activity group and a control group. Patients of the physical activity group were instructed by a physiotherapist to increase their physical activity (moderate to vigorous physical activity for 20 to 30 minutes three to five times a week), and those of the control group were instructed to maintain their lifestyle.

At the study onset and at the end of the three months period, the participants ranked their IBS symptoms, including abdominal pain, stool difficulties and overall quality of life. While the group that maintained their normal routine experienced an average 5-point drop in symptoms, those who increased their activity experienced much more dramatic symptom relief (an average 51-point decrease). What's more, during the study period only 8 percent of the active group went on to develop worsening symptoms, as compared with nearly one-quarter of the maintenance group.

The study findings suggest that even a slight increase of physical activity by patients suffering from IBS may reduce symptoms and protect from deterioration.
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