While exercise is often recommended for
overweight people as part of a weight-loss program, digestive
problems that affect them may hamper their ability to
exercise.
That finding by U.S. researchers appears in a study in
the current issue of the journal Clinical Gastroenterology
and Hepatology.
The study of 983 overweight or obese men and women in
Minnesota concluded that links between gastrointestinal
(GI) problems and diet and exercise may affect treatment
for both obesity and gastrointestinal problems, such as
irritable bowel syndrome.
"Our main finding is that the amount of exercise people
in weight loss programs do is related to gastrointestinal
symptoms," study lead author Rona Levy, a psychologist
and professor of social work at the University of Washington.
"In statistical terms, this means exercise is protective
against gastrointestinal symptoms. This isn't surprising,
but it has not been demonstrated before with this population.
Science has now validated what people have been guessing,"
she said.
"But we don't know if this is a 'did the chicken or the
egg come first?' kind of thing. We are not sure which
is the key, exercise or gastrointestinal symptoms. It
is plausible that if a physician put a patient on an exercise
program to lose weight, the GI problems experienced might
hamper the patient's ability to exercise," Levy said.
The GI problems experienced by the people in the study
included abdominal pain, irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea,
and bloating. The more people weighed, the more likely
they were to report problems. People who started to reduce
their fat intake and increase their fiber intake by eating
more fruits and vegetables reported lower levels of GI
symptoms, the study found.
"This study is another argument for exercise. Even though
anyone engaging in a weight-loss program should know that
gastrointestinal symptoms may impede their ability to
exercise, those symptoms may also be alleviated by exercise,"
Levy said.
