Association between the metabolic syndrome and the irritable bowel syndrome: A cross-sectional study among a sample of Lebanese adults.
Document Type
Article
Source of Publication
British Journal Of Nutrition
Publication Date
3-28-2025
Abstract
Evidence of an association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is emerging but is still inconclusive. The current cross-sectional study was conducted to explore the relationship between the two syndromes in a sample of Lebanese adults (n=221; mean age: 43.36 years; 62.9% females), recruited from a large urban university and its neighboring community. MetS was diagnosed based on the International Diabetes Federation criteria, and IBS was assessed using the Birmingham IBS scale. Logistic regression analyses were performed taking MetS and its components as dependent variables, and IBS and its subscales as independent variables. Covariates included sociodemographic, dietary, and lifestyle variables. MetS was positively associated with Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)-IBS (total scale (Beta=4.59, p=0.029) and VAS-Diarrhea subscale (Beta=4.96, p=0.008). Elevated blood pressure (Beta=5.02, p=0.007), elevated fasting blood sugar (Beta=4.19, p=0.033), and elevated waist circumference (Beta=5.38, p=0.010) were positively associated with VAS- Diarrhea subscale. MetS and IBS were found to be positively associated in a sample of the Lebanese adult population. We suggest that it might be of value to screen for either condition if one of the syndromes exists. Future longitudinal studies are essential to establish a causal relationship between the two syndromes to further understand the commonality related to pathogenesis and explore potential underlying mechanisms.
DOI Link
ISSN
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
First Page
1
Last Page
37
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
Keywords
metabolic syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, cross-sectional study, Lebanese adults, logistic regression
Recommended Citation
Abboud, Myriam; Haidar, Suzan; Mahboub, Nadine; Mamo, Tracy; Papandreou, Dimitrios; Rizk, Rana (Lebanese American University; Institut National de Santé Publique, d'Epidémiologie Clinique, et de Toxicologie; and , Beirut, Lebanon., , Beirut, Lebanon., "Association between the metabolic syndrome and the irritable bowel syndrome: A cross-sectional study among a sample of Lebanese adults." (2025). All Works. 7169.
https://zuscholars.zu.ac.ae/works/7169
Indexed in Scopus
no
Open Access
no