CHICAGO—Maladaptive weight control and eating behaviors are associated with a significantly increased risk for irritable bowel syndrome in adulthood, according to new research.
While the research is new, the findings mimic what providers have seen in the real world, senior investigator Kyle Staller, MD, MPH, told Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News. “To our knowledge, these are the first data that show prospectively what we’ve always seen in the clinic: that a lot of our IBS patients have a history of disordered eating, though many have never had a diagnosis of an eating disorder,” said Dr. Staller, the director of the Gastrointestinal Motility Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston.
Anthony Lembo, MD, the director of research for Cleveland Clinic’s Digestive Disease & Surgery Institute, who was not involved in the study, underscored the importance of the findings, saying they “absolutely” mirror what he’s seen in his own practice. “This is a one-of-a-kind study and a unique data set” that should get the attention of clinicians, said Dr. Lembo. “We have to recognize that disordered eating places patients at risk for IBS, and not only ask about diet but about eating behavior.”