Exploring the gut-exercise link: A systematic review of gastrointestinal disorders in physical activity

Table 5 Summary of studies on physical activity and irritable bowel syndrome

Ref.	Type of article	Age of patients	Summary of study characteristics	Outcome
Nunan et al[137]	Cochrane systematic review	Adults ≥ 18 years	Analyzed 11 RCTs with 622 participants. Compared physical activity (yoga, treadmill, mixed interventions) with usual care or other interventions for IBS symptoms, quality of life, and abdominal pain	Physical activity may improve IBS symptoms but not quality of life or abdominal pain. Evidence certainty is very low due to high risk of bias
Johannesson et al[138]	RCT	Median: 45 years (28-61)	Long-term follow-up (3.8-6.2 years) of 39 patients after physical activity intervention. Assessed IBS symptom severity, quality of life, fatigue, depression, and anxiety	Physical activity reduced IBS symptom severity and improved psychological symptoms over long term
Riezzo et al[140]	RCT	mean: 51.9 ± 7.8 years	12-week moderate-intensity aerobic exercise program in 40 IBS patients. Assessed gastrointestinal symptoms, psychological parameters, and quality of life before and after intervention	Aerobic exercise reduced abdominal pain, bloating, and stress. Improved psychological well-being and quality of life
D’Silva et al[142]	RCT	mean: 45.4 ± 14.0 years	8 weeks of virtual Hatha yoga were compared with an advice-only control group in 79 IBS patients. Assessed IBS symptom severity, quality of life, anxiety, fatigue, and stress	Yoga significantly reduced IBS symptoms and improved quality of life, fatigue, and stress. No significant differences found between groups post-intervention
Kim et al[144]	RCT	Not specified	12-week aerobic exercise program for psychiatric inpatients. Assessed changes in CTT and fitness parameters	Aerobic exercise significantly improved colonic transit time and physical fitness in psychiatric inpatients
Schumann et al[145]	Systematic review	Not specified	Analyzed 6 RCTs (273 patients) comparing yoga with conventional treatment for IBS. Evaluated bowel symptoms, quality of life, anxiety, and mood	Yoga significantly decreased bowel symptoms, IBS severity, and anxiety. Improvements in quality of life were also noted
Radziszewska et al[147]	Narrative review	Not specified	Reviewed effects of nutrition, physical activity, and supplementation on IBS. Discussed the role of aerobic exercise, probiotics, and dietary interventions like low FODMAP diet	Physical activity alleviates IBS symptoms and improves mental well-being. Probiotics and low FODMAP diet offer additional benefits
Naliboff et al[148]	Single-arm intervention study	53 women, 15 men (varied)	Assessed 8-week MBSR program in 68 IBS patients. Evaluated IBS symptoms, quality of life, and anxiety using a mindfulness questionnaire	MBSR improved IBS symptoms, quality of life, and GI-specific anxiety. Present-moment focus and awareness were key to symptom improvement

RCTs: Randomized controlled trials; IBS: Irritable bowel syndrome; CTT: Colonic transit time; FODMAP: Fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols; MBSR: Mindfulness-based stress reduction; GI: Gastrointestinal.