Physical fitness protective against IBD risk in the young

Children and adolescents with better cardiorespiratory endurance appear to have a reduced risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as shown in a study.

Data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, the National Student Fitness Tests Database, and the Air Quality Monitoring System Database were used for the study. Of the 4,552,866 students who completed physical fitness tests between grades 4 and 13, a total of 1,393,641 10-year-olds were included in the analysis.

Physical fitness was assessed based on cardiorespiratory endurance (number of minutes to complete an 800-m run), musculoskeletal endurance (number of bent-leg curl-ups in 1 minute), musculoskeletal power (standing broad jump distance), and flexibility fitness (two-leg sit-and-reach distance).

Mean test scores were 5.0 minutes for cardiorespiratory endurance, 2.7 curl-ups for musculoskeletal endurance, 1.4 m for musculoskeletal power, and 2.8 cm for flexibility fitness.

The 6-year cumulative incidence of IBD was lowest among students in the best-performing quantile vs quantiles 2–4 of cardiorespiratory endurance (0.74 percent, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.63–0.86; p<0.001), musculoskeletal endurance (0.77 percent, 95 percent CI, 0.65–0.90; p<0.001), and musculoskeletal power (0.81 percent, 95 percent CI, 0.68–0.93; p=0.005). No association was observed for quantiles of flexibility fitness.

Multivariable analysis showed that better cardiorespiratory endurance had a protective association with IBD risk (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.36, 95 percent CI, 0.17–0.75; p=0.007). Other measures of physical fitness had no association with IBD risk.