Association of Diet, Body Mass Index, and Lifestyle on the Gastrointestinal Health Risk in a Sample of Adults

Abstract

Gastrointestinal functional disorders are characterized by abnormalities in motility with visceral hypersensitivity, representing a global public health problem. We aimed to determine whether eating habits, lifestyle characteristics, and body mass index (BMI) are associated with gastrointestinal health risk. The Gastrointestinal Health (GIH) test of the World Gastroenterology Organization (WGO) and the Roma IV criteria were applied. We obtained information on food consumption habits and aerobic exercise, among other variables. Not exercising regularly, drinking water and eating vegetables less than recommended, having high body weight, and taking symptomatic medication were variables that explained 73% of the probabilities of not having good GIH (R2 = 0.734). According to Rome IV criteria, women had a 50% higher risk than men of having functional bowel disorder (RR 1.6, 95% CI: 1.04, 2.45). Among the men studied, eating few or no vegetables and drinking less than 1 L of water daily was more frequent; however, the women had significantly more intestinal symptoms. In addition, constipation was higher among women than men (p = 0.020). All of the above explains the prognostic value of eating habits and the importance of paying attention to body weight to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal disease.

Association of fructose consumption with prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders manifestations: results from Hellenic National Nutrition and Health Survey (HNNHS)

“…Other factors from our study that were found to be correlated with FGID, include age, sex, smoking, PA, sleep disturbances, stress and other psychological factors (2) . The results of our study are in accordance with the results from another study, conducted in Mexico, which observed that women were at a 50 % higher risk of having an FGID (71) . The correlation of sex and FGID symptomatology was observed, along with other factors, in other studies too (52,72) .…”

Sociodemographic Factors, Nutritional Status, and Inflammatory Markers in Patients with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome

“…The patients said that they felt sick when they drank alcohol and therefore avoided or reduced alcohol intake. Low physical activity may further impair their health and their psychological and physical capacities since physical activity has been shown to reduce the burden of gastrointestinal unhealth and depression [22,23]. Low physical activity is also a risk factor for physical deconditioning, which may worsen symptoms in POTS [2].…”

High Prevalence and Risk Factors of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders Among University Students in South Korea

“…The World Gastroenterology Organization suggests that identifying and addressing stressors, meal regularity, and sufficient physical activity may have a positive effect on the control of FGID symptoms (Sámano et al, 2022). University students, not only in Korea but also in other countries including the United States, are exposed to irregular eating habits and academic stress for their productive career (Graves, Hall, Dias-Karch, Haischer, & Apter, 2021).…”