Abstract
Irritable bowel syndrome is a common gastrointestinal disorder that may affect dietary pattern, food digestion, and nutrient absorption. The nutrition-related factors are closely related to metabolic syndrome, implying that irritable bowel syndrome may be a potential risk factor for metabolic syndrome. However, few epidemiological studies are available which are related to this potential link. The purpose of this study is to determine whether irritable bowel syndrome is related to metabolic syndrome among middle-aged people. We designed a cross-sectional study of 1,096 subjects to evaluate the relationship between irritable bowel syndrome and metabolic syndrome and its components. Diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome was based on the Japanese version of the Rome III Questionnaire. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the criteria of the American Heart Association scientific statements of 2009. Dietary consumption was assessed via a validated food frequency questionnaire. Principal-components analysis was used to derive 3 major dietary patterns: “Japanese”, “sweets-fruits”, and “Izakaya (Japanese Pub) “from 39 food groups. The prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome and metabolic syndrome were 19.4% and 14.6%, respectively. No significant relationship was found between the dietary pattern factor score tertiles and irritable bowel syndrome. After adjustment for potential confounders (including dietary pattern), the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of having metabolic syndrome and elevated triglycerides for subjects with irritable bowel syndrome as compared with non-irritable bowel syndrome are 2.01(1.13–3.55) and 1.50(1.03–2.18), respectively. Irritable bowel syndrome is significantly related to metabolic syndrome and it components. This study is the first to show that irritable bowel syndrome was significantly related to a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome and elevated triglycerides among an adult population. The findings suggest that the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome may be a potentially beneficial factor for the prevention of metabolic syndrome. Further study is needed to clarify this association.
Highlights
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gastrointestinal disorder characterized by episodes of recurrent abdominal pain or discomfort related to disturbed bowel habits [1,2]
Because IBS may affect the dietary pattern [32], as an initial step, we evaluated the relationships between dietary patterns and IBS
Compared to subjects with factor scores in the lowest tertile for the ‘‘Japanese’’ dietary pattern, those in the highest tertile had a higher consumption of total meats, total fish, seaweeds, total vegetables, soybean products, total fruits, dairy products, green tea, black or oolong tea, total energy intake, animal protein, vegetable protein, animal fat, vegetable fat, carbohydrate, total fiber, calcium, and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) + docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and lower consumptions of cola (P for trend, 0.05)
Summary
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gastrointestinal disorder characterized by episodes of recurrent abdominal pain or discomfort related to disturbed bowel habits [1,2]. The majority of subjects with IBS are conscious that diet may play a role in triggering these episodes and may avoid certain foods and changes in their dietary pattern [3,4,5,6,7,8]. With respect to dietary factors studies, researchers have usually focused predominantly on the effects of individual nutrients and sometimes foods, but rarely on dietary patterns. The surveys that examine a single nutrient in foods, or a single food, may not adequately account for complicated interactions and cumulative effects on human health. Compared with a single nutrient in foods or a single food, a dietary pattern study may be a more important tool for evaluation of the effects of diet on health [17,18]
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