Cardiovascular fitness tied to lower inflammatory bowel disease risk in children

Cardiovascular fitness may lower the risk for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in children and teens, according to a study published online May 1 in JAMA Pediatrics.

Chun-Ying Wu, M.D., Ph.D., from the National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Taipei, Taiwan, and colleagues examined the association between physical fitness and subsequent IBD risk among 1.39 million children and adolescents (aged 10 years and older).

The researchers found that the six-year cumulative incidence of IBD risk was lowest among students in the best-performing quantiles of cardiorespiratory endurance (0.74 percent), musculoskeletal endurance (0.77 percent), and musculoskeletal power (0.81 percent) versus students in quantiles 2 through 4. There was no association observed between flexibility fitness and IBD risk. Better cardiorespiratory endurance was inversely associated with IBD risk when adjusting for mortality and other confounders (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.36).

"In conclusion, we observed that better cardiorespiratory endurance performance was associated with a reduced risk of developing IBD among children and adolescents in this cohort study," the authors write. "With the rapid increase of IBD in newly industrialized countries and globally, our study provides interesting evidence to the medical community and public health agencies. Future studies to explore the mechanisms are needed."