Digestive problems may prevent exercise

SEATTLE, Dec 8, 2005 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A University of Washington psychologist in Seattle says some overweight people's ability to exercise may be hampered by gastrointestinal problems.

Researchers studying nearly 1,000 men and women participating in a randomized trial evaluating Minnesota weight-loss programs found associations between gastrointestinal symptoms, diet and exercise.

The physiological mechanisms linking gastrointestinal symptoms, obesity and exercise must still be determined, said Rona Levy, lead author of the study and a University of Washington professor.

"Our main finding is that the amount of exercise people in a weight loss program do is related to gastrointestinal symptoms," said Levy. "In statistical terms, this means exercise is protective against gastrointestinal symptoms. ... Science has now validated what people have been guessing.

"But we don't know if this is a 'did the chicken or the egg come first' kind of a thing. We are not sure which is the key -- exercise or gastrointestinal symptoms. It is plausible that if a physician put a patient on an exercise program to lose weight, the GI problems experienced might hamper the patient's ability to exercise."

The study appears in the current issue of the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

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