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TOPLINE:

Adults with higher levels of Fitbit-recorded physical activity — measured by daily steps, active minutes, and heart rate, among other metrics — had lower odds of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS); those with greater sedentary time had higher odds of IBS.

METHODOLOGY:

• Physical activity is linked to improved IBS symptoms, but whether it relates to IBS prevalence remains unclear. Prior studies mostly relied on self-reported measurements of physical activity.
• Researchers conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis to assess whether Fitbit-recorded physical activity was associated with an IBS diagnosis.
• They used electronic health data and Fitbit-recorded physical activity from the All of Us Research Program through October 2023. Eligible adults had at least 30 valid days of Fitbit wear, defined as days with at least 10 hours of wear and between 100 and 45,000 steps.
• Adults were categorized into quartiles (Q1 = lowest and Q4 = highest) on the basis of average daily activity metrics, including steps, active minutes (lightly, fairly, and very active), sedentary minutes, and maximum heart rate.
• The outcome was a diagnosis of IBS, defined as at least two incidences in the electronic health record.

TAKEAWAY:

• The analysis included 43,967 adults (median age, 53 years; 67.4% female). Of those, 1551 adults (3.5%) had IBS.
• Adults in the highest vs the lowest quartile of daily steps (> 9350 steps) were 18% less likely to have IBS (P = .028) in an adjusted analysis. Those in the highest quartile of very active minutes (> 25 min/d) had 28% lower odds of IBS (P < .001).
• Adults in the highest vs the lowest quartile of maximum daily heart rate (> 155 beats/min) had 35% lower odds of IBS (P < .001).
• Adults in the highest vs lowest quartile of sedentary minutes (> 921 min/d) had 24% higher odds of IBS (P = .007).

IN PRACTICE:

“[The study] findings, which use objective physical activity data, align with existing literature demonstrating increased physical activity and reduced sedentary behavior can reduce IBS incidence,” the authors of the study wrote.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Jack Loesch, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland. It was published online in The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

LIMITATIONS:

Healthier adults may have been more willing to share Fitbit data, which may have introduced bias in the sample. Adults may have worn their Fitbit on more active days, which may have missed days of lower activity. The cross-sectional design of the study prevented inferring any cause-effect relationships.

DISCLOSURES:

The study did not receive any funding. One author disclosed owning stock in Eli Lilly & Co. Another author reported receiving research grants from and serving as a speaker and consultant for multiple pharmaceutical and healthcare companies. One author disclosed serving as a consultant for and holding stock options in similar companies.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.